Refrain
by MelloJason
Summary: Spencer Reid is feeling out of place and out of mind after learning about Morgan's past and facing Tobias Hankel. What could be so bad that the young genius would hide it from them? What happens when he gets mysterious phone calls from an unnamed man?
1. Envisioned

**Hello! I wasn't planning on starting anything else until I finished Espionage, but I screwed that up and it ended a total opposite way I wanted it to. ^_\\ Oh well. Anyway~! I got this idea for an AU when I was listening to the song ****_'Prison Sex'_**** by Tool. See, Maynard James Keenan, the vocalist and songwriter for the band (along with A Perfect Circle and Puscifer) was molested by his father I believe, or step-father, when he was around the age of seven maybe, possibly a little bit older. And well, the entire album ****_'Undertow' _****by Tool was mainly about the physical and sexual abuse that Maynard suffered through his childhood. And certain parts of the song stood out to me (I was taking a shower at the time. xD That's where I get all of my thinking down. Music is just background noise) and then I actually heard some of the lyrics:**

**_It took so long to remember just what happened._**_**  
><strong>_**_I was so young and vestal then,_**_**  
><strong>_**_you know it hurt me,_**_**  
><strong>_**_but I'm breathing so I guess I'm still alive_**_**  
><strong>_**_even if signs seem to tell me otherwise._**_**  
><strong>_**_I've got my hands bound and_**_**  
><strong>_**_my head down and my eyes closed,_**_**  
><strong>_**_half-closed, wide open._**

_**Do unto others, what has been done to me**_

**Oh! And this fanfic takes place a little after "Profiler, Profiled," "The Big Game," and "Revelations." **

**I guess I should begin!**

**Reviews are welcome~**

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><p>"We've removed the ceiling above our dreams. There are no more impossible dreams," –Jesse Louis Jackson.<p>

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><p>Spencer Reid stirred his coffee with the end of his spoon, twisting his fingers around the thin metal, zoning out on nothing, and once in a while taking a mindless sip of the sugar packed beverage. He hadn't been this out of it since he could remember. He had those moments in time when he'd look at something and get lost in his own mind, but normally they ended when someone started talking to him. For some reason, he was still sitting there, his name being called from down the hall, not even noticing anything was going on.<p>

"Reid," Morgan said, coming up behind the young agent and shaking his shoulder lightly.

Before he knew what he was doing, the doctor swatted Morgan's hand away after flinching, turning to face the man with a fearful look on his face. Then he came back to reality.

"What the hell was that about, Reid?" Morgan asked, pulling his hand and taking a quick examination of it before looking back to the other agent.

Reid had no idea what had happened. He was stuck in his thoughts, and for some reason reacted to Morgan as if he was the object of his day-mare, as if such a thing existed.

He didn't care what anyone said, daydreaming for him lately was turning into a nightmare in itself. He was almost scared to zone out for the shortest amount of time, afraid that the thoughts of the past would slip past the barrier he had created in his mind and create the lucid presence of terror once again. He already had to live through everything that happened, and work was had enough as it was without all the things going on in the back of his head. He didn't need to be constantly reminded of everything that happened in his sleep _or_ when he was awake. It would happen, though. It's not like he could keep everything that happened in the back of his head for eternity. That was almost impossible. There was no way his team wouldn't start to notice a little awkwardness in him forever. Especially Morgan. The man was his best friend, it's not like he wouldn't catch on to the changes the younger man was going through, if he hadn't already.

Reid threw the thought from his head and decided to come to, leaving the remnants of memories he wished to never relive again in the back of his mind.

His glanced up at the older agent, an apologetic look on his face. "Sorry, Morgan," he muttered, trailing off a little towards the end. "I was zoning out and freaked when you interrupted my thoughts.

"Uh huh," Morgan replied, somewhat believing what Reid was telling him, the other half of him telling him not to fall for something like that. He couldn't help thinking about what was on the young geniuses mind before he barged in his thoughts.

"Morgan, Reid, come on. We don't need to wait all day." Hotch turned his back from the main room and went back to the conference room where the rest of the team was located.

"C'mon, Pretty Boy," Morgan said, turning around just as Hotch had moments before, then threw a glance over his shoulder towards Reid before he continued towards the office.

Reid sighed as his team was all absent from the room, and grabbed his coffee in one hand and used the other to swirl the cups contents with the spoon. The only thing he hoped for was a case that had nothing to do with children. He was sick of dealing with dead kids. It was hard enough dealing with adults.

As Spencer shut the door behind him, JJ turned towards the whiteboard and the rest of the team as she started to go over the newest case. Reid was quite happy to hear that no children were involved in this case whatsoever, but that doesn't mean there never will be. At some point, they might still have to deal with a child that saw the unsub, or a kid of one of the victims. That was the hardest; telling children that their mom or dad was dead, nonetheless murdered. It brought a sick feeling to his stomach.

"So he's a sexual sadist," Gideon said, forcing Reid to leave his thoughts for a moment. Though, deep inside he knew that he would ultimately go back to thinking about them.

JJ nodded. "From the looks of it, that's exactly what he is," she answered, her voice a little uneven but still calm. Spencer noticed JJ got the most upset when working cases involving children, but rape was barely any better. The worst ones for her were when children were getting sexually violated. A shiver was sent up Reid spine at the thought, and he tried to remain out of that state of mind for as long as he could.

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Gideon watching him, but made nothing of it. He told himself it might be time to draw attention to someone else and go off on a rant or something. He hated the idea of people watching him theses days.

"Rape is the most popular in New Mexico than any other state in the United States, y'know, with Michigan not far behind," Reid mumbled, giving a little amount of input for the time being. It's not like he could go on forever about the statistics of rape, which was just disgusting and disturbing. Plus, the team might not like that image in their minds as he rambles on about how rape is one of the most reported crimes in the country.

Gideon shot him another look before turning to the rest of the team, leaving Reid a little time to utter a sigh under his breath so no one could hear him.

"Besides the newest victim that showed up this morning, there have been six other murders and rapes in the last three months down there," JJ said, moving on with the meeting. "All of them were brunettes and had blue eyes, white, and slender. They were between the heights of five-four and five-eight. At every crime scene, the bodies were noted to have a piece of jewelry removed, then sent to the mother of the victim later in the day. About six minutes ago is when the mother of Catelyn Cherokee found the silver necklace her daughter was given at high school graduation laying on her doorstep."

"So he's either remorseful," Hotch began.

"Or a very sick person who likes to see people squirm," Reid added. The team didn't look to him this time, which he was thankful for, and looked to Hotch instead.

"Wheels up in ten," the unit chief added, and dismissed the team from the room.

Reid had a slimmer of hope that this case wouldn't be as gruesome as the rest of the murder and rape scenes they saw. It was a fat chance, but every prayer helped, right?

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><p>The plane ride out to Clayton, New Mexico was like any other. They discussed the case and exactly what was going to happen when they got to their destination. Prentiss was seated next to Morgan while she was reading a book and the latter was listening to music as it plummeted from the speakers on his headphones on one of the benches and Hotch and JJ were up in front talking about the case some more, Reid guessed, since he could hear them murmuring from his seat on the plane. Spencer was seated across from Gideon with a chess board in front of them.<p>

"Your move," Gideon said, glancing up from the game to get a look at the young genius. The boy was obviously distraught with something, and seemed to be very good at hiding it, but Jason Gideon knew better.

Reid moved his knight forward two and to the left once and then pulled his hand back away from the table. He was anxious to back on ground for some reason. He never had a hard time flying before, but these days he was becoming more and more anxious with everything, not just being off land. He was still trying to fight the thoughts that wouldn't let him think of anything else besides the past couple of cases, the ones which affected him the most. He had just dealt with Hankel and before that was their case in Chicago, which he absolutely hated. He thought it was nice that he got to meet Morgan's family, but under those circumstances, it was a little rough. He could only image what Morgan had felt like, having the team know his deepest and darkest secret. Reid wouldn't be able to handle that. He saw the way the team looked at Morgan now, like he was affected by every case in a whole new way. Reid tried not to give the man looks of sorrow or guilt, but it was hard since he could relate in an odd way, a way that he would never share of. A way that was his to know about and no one elses.

He didn't have to look up; he could feel Gideon watching him.

The older man was a little concerned about the young genius. He wasn't acting like himself lately. Okay, maybe he was acting a little too much like himself. Like he was trying to put on an act and tell himself something that Gideon couldn't read.

"We're not supposed to profile each other," Reid mumbled, looking up at Gideon this time. There was something in the younger man's eyes that was different. Relief? Sadness? Pressure? Gideon couldn't make it out so he simply moved his queen to spaces to the left and glanced back at Reid.

"Check."

The genius glanced back at the board and sighed. "You win," he replied, moving his king one space to the left and letting it become consumed by Gideon's queen once the older man would move his piece and then turnied towards the aisle as the game was declared over. Before he could leave the booth, Gideon stopped him.

"Reid, do you want to talk?" Jason asked him, grasping the boy's hand as lightly as he could. He didn't want to scare him off or freak him out like Morgan did when he touched him earlier.

Not turning back to look at the older man, Reid took back his hand and stood there for a moment until he finally spoke. "Like I said, we're not supposed to profile each other," the young man muttered before going to sit by Morgan, leaning his head back and enjoying the silence from the room, since he knew his mind wouldn't shut up.

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><p><strong>I think I'm going to try and make the chapter longer than I have in the past, hopefully breaking 2,000 words with each update. I don't want to forget about Espionage, so this was just kind of something I wanted to post so I could update it easier. Thank you for reading. Please review so I know what you think!<strong>


	2. Emotive

**Hello! :D I wanted to thank the people that reviewed and the many people who added this to their Story Alert list; it means a lot! **

**I hope Reid doesn't seem to OOC for anyone, and I'm not trying to change his character or anything, but hey, he is a genius. Who knows what's going on in his mind?**

**Normally, I try to do an update every day, but I didn't get to it yesterday, which I am sorry for. ;_; Me and my dad were moving into our new house, so it was a little hectic with trying to get in time to write, and right now it's midnight, so I'm planning on posting this sometime this afternoon, Friday afternoon. My best writing probably takes place between 1 and 3, but I'm running on 5 hours asleep and was carrying furniture into trailers and out of trailers all day long. I'm just glad to finally be settled in the house, even though, like, nothing is unpacked. xD Anyway, thanks again!**

**Reviews are welcome~!**

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><p>The ride to the station was a little awkward, since the team was beginning to notice the change in the young man's behavior even more than they had at the office or on the plane. Reid didn't think he was doing anything to attract attention to himself, but it was actually what he wasn't doing. He wasn't going off on a genius-like rant about the topography of the place they were visiting or why the headlights of a car reflect off the little orange reflectors of the road didn't blind the driver. He was unusually quiet, which was the scariest part of all.<p>

He felt trapped in his own mind. When he shut his eyes he thought about it, when he stirred his coffee he thought about it, he even thought about it when he looking out the vehicles window. It was like an internal pressure was forcing him to cave in on himself and he wasn't able to hold up any longer, which ended in him just falling to the ground and his mind crashing around himself. He had never been in this type of situation before, so the feelings that came across it were odd to him.

If only he and JJ stayed together back at Hankel's house, none of this was happening. It wasn't JJ's fault at all, it was his. He was the one who decided to split up, he was the one who brought it upon himself.

No, no, no, no, he told himself. It wasn't his fault; he couldn't blame himself for anything that happened. That was like blaming yourself for someone else shooting you.

Reid was smart, he knew that logically it was always the one who pulls the trigger is at fault, but that was still hard to admit to himself. He already knew it, but he needed to hear it. Probably not from himself, but someone he could confide in with his issue. Well, maybe some of them. There were still things he wasn't planning on telling anybody. Ever.

He contemplated Morgan, wondering what would happen if he told the older agent. It might be easier to tell him than anybody else, they were best friends after all.

He couldn't tell JJ or Garcia, they were too maternal; Prentiss and Hotch would give him the same remorseful looks like they did to Morgan. Gideon… well, Gideon was someone that Reid could obviously trust, they were teacher and student, mentor and learner, father and son. But maybe that's why Reid couldn't tell Gideon. He was too much like the father figure he never had, and when he did have him, didn't want him.

Reid just sighed, leaning his face against his forearm, which was resting upon the base of the window. He had a distant look in his eyes, like he normally did when he was thinking. It was like the black pupil just enveloped his entire iris, creating a ghostly appearance on the young man. The dark cloud contracted as Morgan's voice intruded on his thoughts.

"Reid," the older man said, glancing over towards the young genius between glances at the road. They were almost to the station, Reid could tell, since the signs continued to say Exit 102 in so many miles.

Spencer shot a look over at Derek and took his hand away from his face, resting it in his lap for a moment. He continued to watch the window for a minute before he turned to face the other agent, who had a questionable look in his eyes.

"Man, you just seem so out of it lately," Morgan said, shaking his head. "This isn't like you, kid. Normally you're like a marker exploded on one of Hotch's dress shirts."

Reid would have quirked a smirk but decided it wasn't work the effort and gave the man a lopsided smile instead. "I don't see a difference in my attitude," he mumbled in defense, the grin dissipating.

Morgan just sighed. "That's because you're not watching it. Are you sure everything's alright, Pretty Boy? Do you want to talk about something?"

Reid's heart could've skipped a beat, but he kept his hopes under control. He wished he could just pour it all out to Morgan right then and there, but this case was what they needed to be focused on right then, not him. Anyway, what would Morgan think about him after he told him all of it? Was there anything that said the man would still have all the faith in him he did right then, before he knew anything? Or would everything change?

It could change for the better, he reminded himself, knowing that was already a possibility, but there was still the chance it could get much, much worse.

So he only bit his lip and eyed the road ahead of him, not letting Morgan see any of the emotion boiling behind his dark brown eyes as he gave the only answer he thought could work: "Not right now."

The other agent gave a quick nod and stopped stealing glances at Reid after he noticed the young doctor was becoming fidgety in his seat. He didn't think asking the question would cause such a problem, but if Reid wanted to talk some other time, that was fine. He just wanted to hear what was going on with him.

Reid checked his watch after pulling back the sweater vest from his wrist, eyeing the analog clock under the fabric. "It's already eight o'clock," he muttered, a little shocked it was so late in the day. "What do you think we're going to do when we get in town?"

Morgan chuckled under his breath. Already changing the subject, huh? "I'm not really sure, but we'll most definitely be spending the night here," he said, looking towards the horizon and the about-to-set sun. "We'll probably go into the station, or some of us will, and talk to the officers there and let them know we arrived and where we'll be staying and maybe go over a couple things that might help us with the profile," Morgan added on, trying to be enthusiastic about going for a murder case.

Reid nodded, keeping his eyes averted from Morgan's. He knew that the older man was trying to make him feel better, consciously or subconsciously, he didn't know. He just turned towards the window, thinking to himself about the case and trying to figure out what was wrong with the world.

Morgan was half-right about his assumptions about the night ahead of them when he told Reid they might go to the station. They did go to the station, but did not go over anything about the profile. Hotch and Gideon went in when the girls waited out in their SUV and Morgan simply pulled their vehicle over when the other suburban stopped. They stayed silent for most of the ride towards the hotel, which was located on South First Street, except for a few murmurs about the landscapes or landmarks from Reid.

Derek Morgan could only be glad that the younger agent had puckered up a little bit instead of being full of gloom like he had been for the past couple weeks. It wasn't this bad before, Morgan reminded himself, when Reid went silent for long periods of time without spurting mindless, well, mindlessness. He was usually hyper like a puppy who's owner just let them run rampant on their property, but now he was like the neighbor's old dog that was too bored to play with the kids and lounged either on the picnic table or on the couches all day long. Anything with a cool breeze, shade, or A/C, really.

It was a little hard to see Spencer like this: calm, silent, obviously upset, and not telling anyone what was wrong. Everyone needed their secrets, Derek knew this, but Reid was like his brother and it kind of hurt him watching Spencer suffer and not knowing what was going on with him.

"Morgan," Reid said, trailing through the older man's thoughts. He picked up his go-bag from the trunk of the SUV, but Morgan was still standing there lost in thought and Reid was ready to go inside.

The agent took his bag quickly and shut the door, glancing towards Reid. "Sorry, I was just thinking," he explained, clicking the car lock and walked into the lobby of the hotel.

"What about?" Reid asked, prying a little.

Derek only shot a look back at him. "Why don't you tell me first?"

He checked the entire group in, fboth of them lashing the desk jockey their badges when she questioned that they were FBI agents. She could see it in Derek, she said so, but Spencer? He was apparently too young.

They took their keys and headed up to the room, Morgan leading the way and Reid absently following. He didn't want to talk about the things going on inside his head to Morgan when they were on a case, it would only give the team two distracted agents. The genius clicked the door shut on his way in and flung his suitcase on the edge of the farthest bed. He always took the one nearest the window, that way he could see the street lights.

"I'm going to take a shower then go to bed," Reid informed Morgan as he walked towards the bathroom, clean clothes in hand.

Morgan placed a hand on Reid's shoulder shortly after he passed him, not applying any grip. "You can talk to me whenever you want, you know?"

Reid remained stopped, Morgan's hand still on his shoulder. He was tired and really did want to sleep, so it's not like he was putting on a front to get Morgan away from him. "I know," he mumbled, stepping into the bathroom and the door snapped shut.

Taking a deep breath, Reid underdressed himself and stepped into the shower, pulling the curtain along the side. He was hoping tonight wouldn't end up as his pour out, he didn't want that. Maybe when they got back to Quantico, Reid could pull Morgan to the side and tell him everything he needed to know, well, the parts that Reid wanted him to know.

But right now, they were in Clayton, New Mexico on a case that needed their full attention. So he let the water and soap run down his body as he stood under the showerhead, letting the clean liquid rush down him as he spent a few minutes trying to clear his head.

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><p><strong>And thus, chapter two! I actually finished this before I thought I would! :D And now, I'm going to post this update and crash my terribly tired mind. xD<strong>

**Thanks for reading!**

**Please review!**


	3. Disclosed

**Oh my gosh, guys, thank you so much! :') I'm so happy right now! Over twenty people altered to this story and five already favorite it! :D Thank you! I guess that means I'm not screwing that much stuff up! xD Anyway, I want to apologize for how long it's taken for an update! D: Since we moved, I haven't had any internet or TV. I can't survive like this! No fanfic or CM! It's like my soul is being sucked out… Also, it's going to be a little hard to post stuff for a while for me, so I think I'm going to try whenever I can. It'll differ on what I'm doing, but I'm helping my friend move next week, then going on vacation with my mum, and then school starts, so it's going to be hectic for a little while. I'm in creative writing, so I always can update, but my classes are only ninety minutes long (not long enough) and normally focuses on certain topics for the day. We all know how that is. What a drag.**

**So, yeah. Don't worry; even if I have a hard time posting for a while, I don't plan on leaving this story anytime soon! :D**

**Here is chapter three!**

**Oh! I don't think I've said this before, but this includes spoilers for "Profiler, Profiled" and "Revelations." I also don't own Criminal Minds, but my birthday is in October. :D Sweet sixteen present? Yeah, I wish. xD**

**R/R? Please?**

**I keep forgetting the damned disclaimer: I DO NOT OWN CRIMINAL MINDS. IF I DID, MORGAN AND REID WOULD HAVE SLASH IN EVERY EPISODE.  
><strong>

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><p>Getting to sleep that night was a little harder than it was those previous, but the reasons couldn't stop piling. Morgan snored quite loudly, Reid's mind wouldn't shut up, and the images of his subconscious would always manage to climb their way back to the top of his thoughts. He shook them off a couple times, then woke up in cold sweats.<p>

Instead of trying to go back to sleep, he grabbed a cup of coffee and popped in a sleeping pill. When worse came to, well, worse.

The medicine decided to activate right away, so after Spencer went to lie down in his room, he was out cold. He needed it, though, so it didn't bother him that he had to surrender to the drug. At least it wasn't dilaudid. He didn't even like to think about that.

After a while of sleepless nightmares, the his phone started to produce to a large wailing siren, waking him from his slumber. He gave out an annoyed groan and slowly rose from underneath the covers, taking his phone into hand. He was a little ticked that the noise had woken him, but a little grateful. The nightmares were worse at night when he couldn't control his subconscious. Now, the pictures and videos playing in his mind were only the ones he consciously remembers, not even the ones that brought him to the state of terror he faced when he was asleep.

He yawned once, and stretched his arms out in an attempt to crack his back. His eyes settled back onto the cellular's screen, eyeing the light glowing from the device.

_No caller ID? _he asked himself. That was odd, since he either normally remembered the number or the address, even if it wasn't one of the ones programmed into his phone. He frowned at the screen, clicking the red button on the side of the electronic. He didn't want to deal with anyone he didn't know or anything that wasn't related to the case. This person would simply have to leave a voicemail or stop bugging him this late.

He shut the phone, placing it back on the nightstand next to the hotel bed, stealing a glance over at Morgan. The agent was still sleeping; Reid's loud phone hadn't waked him up. Spencer slid back down under the covers and pulled them up to his chin, shutting his eyes before the phone went off once more.

He grabbed it off the wood, hitting the red button again, hoping that the person would leave a message or give up. He sunk into the bed again, forcing his eyes shut once more. Then he got pissed.

The phone blared once more; Spencer was ready to turn the damned thing off. He flipped it open and hit the green this time, pressing the electronic to his ear.

"Reid," he muttered, slight venom in his voice.

"_I know who you are, Dr. Reid,"_ the voice said. It was male, probably between thirty-five and forty-five, and a little amused. Spencer could hear the smirk on his lips.

Reid's eyes widened then narrowed as he stood from his bed, walking leisurely to the bathroom. He didn't need Morgan on his case. "Who is this?" he asked, his voice fluxing back to the normal calm tone he used on phone calls.

The man only laughed. _"Oh, Spencer; so blunt and to the point. I like that."_

Spencer scowled. "Is there something you need, sir?" The calm monotone voice remained, even though he was thoroughly confused.

Why was a random man, in the middle of the night, calling him? He wasn't used to mysterious phone calls, really, any phone call in general. The people that he talked apart from work were slim, mostly being his mom and a couple people from NA. He was already not in the mood to deal with anyone, especially this creepy guy that kept calling and calling. Spencer was silently wishing he would have just turned his phone off.

"_Dr. Reid,"_ the man said, bringing Spencer back to reality. _"I'm going to give you three choices, but you can only choose one of them."_

Reid's muscles tightened. The man no longer held a sickly pleasant tone to his voice. Now, it was dark and cold. Something must have set him off. Reid just held his breath, wondering what to say next. "What do you mean?" he questioned, his voice wavering slightly.

The smirk in the man's voice returned. _"Exactly what I said, Dr. Reid. Now, would you like to hear the choices?"_

Spencer's throat closed. What did this guy want from him?

"Yes."

"_Good,"_ the man said. His voice held authority. He must know how to get people to listen to him. "_I'll give you the three choices momentarily. First, I need to let you know everything that is going down."_

Reid leaned against the bathroom counter, letting the cold countertop hit his skin, causing instant goose bumps. What 's going down? What did this guy mean? He guessed he'd find out soon enough.

"_Number one: everything that happens in this phone call remains between the two of us. You cannot tell anyone on your team that anything happened tonight besides you sleeping and waking up to a phone call that left no message. That is all." _The man paused for a moment, possibly waited for some sort of confirmation from Reid. After a minute, he continued. _"Number two: if I hear anything of you telling your team or anyone else, there will be consequences."_ Reid could hear _and_ feel the smirk in his voice now. _"And number three: if you decide to listen to everything I have to say and comply with everything I tell you to do, you will be rewarded. Do you understand, Dr. Reid?"_

Spencer remained silent for a moment before muttering an answer. "I understand."

"_Even better; so then let us begin."_

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><p>Morgan flicked the young agent again, flinging his finger back and applying a small force of pressure onto the genius's temple. It was probably the sixteenth time he had done it, trying to wake the man without causing a ruckus.<p>

The younger one stirred, his eyes flying open and landing on the older agent. "What are you doing…?" he asked, all grogginess dissipating from his voice.

"Oh, hey. I was just trying to wake you up."

"By flicking me in the head?" Reid questioned, leaning up and rubbing the sand from his eyes after Morgan took a side step from the bed. "Doesn't really seem like the best wake up call."

Morgan shrugged, his eyes still not wavering from the younger. "You weren't moving at all. So after a while, I genuinely got worried. You were out hard."

Reid just quirked his lips to the side. "So me not waking up after, what, a couple of minutes, automatically gives you the jurisdiction to flick me over and over again until I do? Somehow that just doesn't fit together, does it Morgan?" The genius flashed the older man a grin and pulled the covers back from the bed. Stepping from it, Reid stood in front of Morgan, and then began to walk past him.

Morgan extended his arm and took hold of Spencer's shoulder. "Someone came into our room last night," he said, not looking to the autodidact. "Or someone left."

Spencer Reid froze in place, not really sure what to say to the other agent at this point. "I don't know what you're implying," he mumbled, his voice remaining even, "and I don't think I appreciate being questioned."

Morgan turned then, his eyes hard and cold. He knew something was off about Spencer but couldn't place it at the moment. He also knew they weren't supposed to profile each other, but if Reid was in trouble, he needed to figure out what the hell it was about. He had felt Reid flinch when his hand touched him, his voice quaver when Morgan knew he was right. He needed to know what was going on.

"Tell me what's going on, Reid," Morgan said, the tone of his voice matching the fierceness in his eyes.

Reid threw a glance over his shoulder at the older agent, knowing exactly what he was allowed to speak of and what he was not. He was also tired of keeping everything from team, especially Morgan since the man was his best friend. Up until now, it was easy to just to leave everyone in the dark about what was going on his life, but after the things that happened last night, he figured some things would be better in the open. It was just how to say them.

He bit his lips and continued to process everything with one single thought. It was impossible, even for someone as smart as him. He was losing it, he told himself, trying to clear his head since all the information pounding through it was a little too much with everything in his system. He blinked and went back to his mind again, keeping it simple and not trying to think everything out at once.

He knew he had been acting strange lately; his attitude changed completely, the way he talked to everyone was altered, and the fact that he was keeping everything from everyone was gnawing at his soul. He wasn't sure how much longer he was going to be able to keep it up. Not too much longer, anyway.

The worst part was trying to find out how he was going to lay it all out for Morgan and then the agent having to go tell the rest of the team. But that was what he was going to have to do. He wished this could have waited until they got back from Quantico, but that seemed like too much of a long shot at this point.

He made it easy, explaining it to Morgan the easiest way he could, and then prepared himself for telling the team.

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><p>Morgan walked behind him towards the office in the Clayton police station, watching the young agent suspiciously. He never guessed that's what was going on, and still thought that there was probably more behind it than what Reid had told him, but for now, he was going to have to be satisfied. He wasn't getting anything else out of the young genius at the moment. The man wouldn't let him pry any longer.<p>

The only thing Morgan did was tell Reid that the latter was going to tell the team as soon as they arrived at the station. The doctor was convinced that that was the best way to do it, but was still reluctant on what would happen. The consequences were immense. Normally, Morgan would try and help the young man out on his own, but this was bigger than just himself. This was something the entire team needed to be aware of. The one thing Morgan was frightened about at the moment was with what Hotch would do. That was killing him inside, since he already had the feeling he was sending Reid into a full combat situation without any ammo.

Reid and Morgan stood in the conference room for a moment before the latter sat down and waited for the younger one to do something, anything. The team was confused enough as it was, since Morgan had called them up saying that Reid needed to talk to them about something important.

The room grew silent, the members not wanting to believe what Reid had showed them. His explanation needed no words.

Hotch, tense

Prentiss, confused.

Garcia, shocked.

JJ, upset.

And last but not Gideon, who was mostly disappointed.

There was no second guessing for any of them. They all knew exactly what Reid was trying to tell them.

The entire room was looking at the young genius's forearms, covered in scars that could only have been made by a needle.

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><p><strong>Okay! :D If you're confused a little on what the ending is about, it's pretty much like, "Oh, hey, Reid's on drugs." He's not shooting heroin, guys! Just for the record, it's dilaudid. Yeah, I wasn't really expecting him to be doing it either, but with everything else having effects on him, it oddly seemed right at the time to have something else going on with our genius. xD Anyway, let me know what you think! I love reviews, even if you think I did something wrong. Constructive criticism is great! Flames, though, are not tolerated! Thank you!<strong>


	4. Perpetrated

**I figured since I was so late on uploading chapters, I'd write two for you and post them at the same time; aka, when I got freaking internet. -.-" It's hard, man, not being able to post or look at anything. I hate it, so I'll be so happy when this is posted! :D Yeah, so feel the power of the chapter. Sorry if chapter three was a little weird, but I though the dilaudid added a nice touch to everything that was affecting Spencer. And the random phone call… well, that'll be explained at some point.**

**Anywho! Thanks once again for all the favorites, alerts, reviews, and simply reading in general. It means a lot. :D**

**Here's chapter four for you. R/R! I love hearing what you think!  
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><p>Gideon was the only one of the team that was looking Reid in the eye. The rest of them were captivated by the scars trickling up and down his arms. It wasn't something Reid was comfortable with, that was for sure, since he kept trying to move away from them.<p>

JJ was the first to say something. "Reid… what is this?" she asked, needing to hear it from the young man now. It was better to hear it than just assume for her. It might be easier to understand if the genius would explain instead of just pulling the sleeves to his sweater vest up and showing them all the scattered scars.

Reid bit his lip, contemplating on the easiest way to explain what was happening in his lip. He started to speak in a hushed voice, but the words got stuck in the back of his throat.

Morgan glanced over to him, their eyes meeting at a half-way glance across the room. "Would you like me to tell them what you told me?"

The younger man glanced towards his arms and pulled the sleeves back down, pulling his arms behind his back. His eyes met Morgan's once again and he gave a short head nod.

Morgan gave a nod in return to Reid as the team focused their eyes on him now and Reid went to go sit down around the table, his arms folded in his lap. "We all remember the incident with Tobias Hankel, so I don't need to go into depth on that. Reid was held captive, tortured, and drugged. The drug he was injected with is called Dilaudid. It's like store bought heroin. Apparently, Reid tried to stop way before we noticed any change in his behavior, and when it began to change, it was because he had cut cold turkey." Morgan glanced to Reid who was looking the other way and wasn't ready to face any of them. The former gave a sigh and turned back to the group. "I talked to him about it last night, but he wasn't ready to tell me, so I gave him his space. I got it out of him this morning, and now we're here."

Gideon stood up from a chair in the corner of the room, walking over towards Reid and placing a hand on the young man's shoulder. The genius glanced up, wondering what was going on inside Gideon's head. "Why didn't you tell us sooner?" he asked, his voice sounding hurt. The words stung Reid as he tried to explain his reasoning in his head so it wouldn't come out as a bunch of jumbled words.

"I didn't want to seem weak. I knew if I said anything, I'd be losing to the drug. I have headaches, worse than I've ever had before, and I feel like my skull is being crushed by the air around me alone. It's like my head's aflame and no matter how much water I put on it, it just keeps getting bigger." He tore his stare away from the floor and turned up to look at Gideon. "I swear I haven't had any for over two weeks. I just, I guess it's getting to me. Not having anything in my system."

The older man took a sigh from the bottom of his lungs and leaned on the conference table. "You're not weak, Reid. The fact that you came to us at all is saying you know what to do and you made the right choice and that you're stronger than the drug in multiple ways. You didn't let it get to you, even if it might be hard right now. The prize at the end is worth more than the ones you get along the way."

Aaron Hotchner walked over from the other side of the room and stood next to Gideon and Reid while the latter remained seated. "Think of it this way, Reid. You stopped taking it, and for a much longer period than people normally can. You came for help, and that's all that matters. They have NA groups for officers and people involved in the government. We can always sign you up for something; you can go to the doctor and see if he can prescribe something that'll get rid of the urges." The younger man shot up a glance at him.

"One of the reasons I feel weak is because I had to come for help, that I couldn't do it on my own. I've never needed anyone to help before, so I feel useless coming here, explaining all of this, and having a hard time just dealing with you all knowing." Spencer shook his head, getting more ashamed with each and every word he added. "If I'm such a genius, why can't I fix my own problems?"

"Pretty Boy," Morgan said, interrupting the little group posse on the other side of the room. The three looked over at him as well as JJ and Prentiss. "Being a genius doesn't mean you have to do everything on your own. It's knowing what an atomic particle is by the age of four and being able to give definitions to every word you've ever heard. It's being able to choose what you think about and being able to push the other memories away, even if you know they're things you should talk about. We are your family, Reid, even if we started out as just co-workers."

"And no matter what you decide to do about this, Reid, just know that all of us are here besides you. When we get back to Quantico, we can talk about this so much more," Prentiss added, smiling from the corner. It was a little comforting for Reid to hear, since the entire time he had been second guessing himself about doing anything about his problem, which he knew was a problem.

JJ turned to face him as well, a bright smile lighting up her face. "We're going to help you through this, Reid, as much as we possibly can." Her eyes shot towards the people beyond the conference room, getting ready for the unsub and geographical profiles. "But for now, we have a case to work on."

Reid gave a weak smile and rose from the chair, turning so he was facing everyone. "As long as I still get to work, I'm fine. It keeps my mind off of everything." His smile widened a tiny bit when Morgan gave a laugh from the back. "And I still get to do the geological profile."

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><p>Eight hours later the plane was leaving Clayton, New Mexico and Reid was reading a book he picked up at a gas station about the making of cars. He was intrigued, mostly because he didn't know a lot about wheeled vehicles, just a bunch of random facts about aircrafts and anything that belonged in the water. He flipped the page after tracing his finger down the paper, moving to the adjacent one, and then flipping the page again.<p>

Morgan sat across from him, his eyes on the book as Reid mindlessly flipped through page after page, still in awe how the young genius could read that fast. He quirked his lips to the side and his eyebrows rose. "You can really read that fast?" he asked, giving a short laugh as the kid flipped another page.

Not noticing that Morgan was watching him for a moment, he continued reading until Morgan poked him, drawing his attention then.

"Why'd you poke me?"

"You can read that fast?" Morgan asked again, pointing to the book that Reid was holding in his hands, over three fourths the way done.

The genius glanced down to where the other agent was pointing and glanced up at him again, giving him a sloppy grin. "Haven't I said that times before? Yeah, I read that fast." He gave a short chuckle and glanced back to the book.

Morgan smirked. "I guess that's why you're Reid."

The genius huffed. "Funny, Morgan."

"Are you really that happy?"

That caught him off guard. What did Morgan mean, if he was that happy? Was he acting jollier than he normally did? Well, he was in a depressive phase for quite a long time and didn't really give a small to anyway, so maybe putting on the act that he was glad was too soon. For right now, the only problem that Morgan, or anyone else for that matter, needed to know about was his issue with dilaudid. Everything else would come out over time, and right now, this was not the time. He couldn't stay in his same mood, no, that would be too obvious there was something else up with him, but he might want to tone it down a bit, if Morgan was already seeing through the façade he was building.

Now he had two things to deal with, since the team had the entire deal with the dilaudid under their wraps: his nightmares and who ever kept calling the previous night. He was still trying to figure out what they wanted, their motive, but it looked like he was going to have to wait for him to call again. It wasn't like he could just go call someone. Reid was practically anti-technology. The only reason he had a cell phone was because he needed it for work. He had no internet besides the things he used it for on a work basis, didn't need any of those social networking sites, and barely watching television besides the history channel or a special about something interesting that would pop up on National Geographic or the Discovery Channel.

Then he was saved by the bell, well, ringer. He pulled his phone from his pocket and excused himself to Morgan and made his way to the bathroom of the plane until he hit the green glowing button on the device. He knew the number. Speak of the devil.

"Reid-"

"_I know who you are, Dr. Reid. We need to talk._"

The words he was going to say next got caught in the back of his throat, just as they had earlier. He was silent and then he voice went on.

"_Are you alone, Dr. Reid?"_

Yes, he wanted to say, but if this guy was telling him the truth, he'd know if Reid was lying. "No, I'm taking a flight on my way home. My entire team is aboard."

He tried to keep his voice even and low, and it was working. He didn't need anyone hearing the conversation that wasn't meant to. It was just going to cause problem for them all if anyone besides Reid knew about the conversations for the mean time. He'd tell them soon enough. But for now, this was his own personal battle.

"_Have you made your decision, Dr. Reid?" _the voice asked again, calm and unnerving.

"How much more time do I get? I haven't had a lot of time to think about it." Spencer remained calm as well, only answering when he talked and only answering with the things the other would want to hear.

The other end of the phone remain silent for some time before a long sigh came through the line. _"You have until this time tomorrow to make your decision. Remember what I told you. Nothing more, nothing less."_

Reid bit his lip, gnawing on the inner skin. He sat down on the folded down seat and ran his hand through his hair. "I know," he told the other end. "I remember."

"_I knew you would, Dr. Reid," _the voice said, Spencer hearing the smirk in his words. _"I'll contact you then."_

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><p><strong>:o! Yeah, so wondering what the hell is going on with Reid and the mysterious phone calls? That makes two of us… my muse won't tell me what the hell is happening. Anyway, here's you chapter! I hope you enjoyed! Reviews are always appreciated! :D<strong>


	5. Options

**Thanks for the reviews! I've had a busy week, so I thought a good weekend upload would be great! Hopefully I'm not too late. This week, I finished a story, moved into my house, packed up my friend's/Dad's girlfriend's house, moving with them Sunday, babysat, wroth a weird slash oneshot, and fixed my computer. :D A busy, busy week, for your information. For me anyway.  
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**Anywho~ this is chapter five for you. ;D I hope it quenches your odd thirsts.**

**Please R/R, I love you hear your thoughts! :D:D:D:D:D:DD:D:D:D:D:D:D:D  
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><p>Spencer Reid shut the phone and held it to his chest for a few moments, trying to think of every possible scenario that could play out from each one of the choices he was given. He couldn't think of everything, he told himself, but he could try. If there was a way he could get out of it completely, he would try as hard as he could to do so. It wasn't everyday he got phone calls from a mysterious man not giving out his identity.<p>

He thought back to what happened the night previous, trying the go back and find something he missed the first time. He knew it was unlikely, but he could try, couldn't he?

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><p><em>Reid nodded the told himself the caller couldn't see him. Well, he hoped he couldn't see him. "I understand."<em>

"Even better; so then let us begin." _Reid could feel the terror seep into him as the voice grew calm and at the same time, venomous. Like this was a game. From what Reid had gathered, that's all this was to the man; the man who for some reason called him and threatened him in the oddest of all ways._

_The man chuckled and Reid began to wonder what even the point of this was. The man stopped abruptly, his voice and tone serious and hard. _"Like I said, you have three choices and you must choose one and only one."

_Reid choked back his words, not wanting to make the man anymore upset than he already was._

"But as you said, Dr. Reid. You understand that."

_The young genius wondered when the caller was going to get to the point._

_The man cleared his throat, preparing himself for what could have been a long speech. _"I'm in Quantico now, Dr. Reid. Your three choices all have to do with my presence."

_Reid bit his lip. Nothing was sounding any better than it had moments before._

"First choice: you come with me willingly, letting your team know you agreed to it, and leave with me, never seeing them again." _The man heard Reid gasp from the other line, chuckling under his breath. _"Choice two: you tell them everything you've been keeping from them besides your drug addiction, since you've already told them about that." _He paused to get something out of the youngest agent. Nothing came, so he continued. _"Or three: you come and get high with me, leave the country for a few weeks, and come back and all of this can go away. I'll never contact you again."

_Reid stood still, leaning against the bathroom counter, panting softly but rough. What the hell was this? He had no idea what to do. "I-If I do one of the t-two first things, w-will you c-contact me again?" he asked, wondering the question from his heart, hearing his voice break on and off._

"This will continue for as long as I want it to unless you pick choice number three," _the voice told him._

_Reid's shoulder was shaking uncontrollably. He swore if Morgan woke up right then… "H-How long to I have to decide my choice…?"_

_He could feel the man frown from the phone. _"I thought I would be leaving with one." _The voice sighed. _"Ah, I guess I can't expect that much out of you at this moment in time. I have no idea what's going through you head right now."_ He chuckled again. _"Tomorrow, six o'clock sharp. I'll want an answer then. Until then, goodbye, Dr. Reid."

_Reid pulled the phone away from his ear and glanced down, seeing 'call ended' flashing on the screen. He sighed, gripping his shoulders as he slid his phone back into his pocket, turning the lights off in the bathroom before exiting the premises._

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><p>The young genius tore himself from his thoughts. He would have to pick the third choice, or this would never stop. Or he could tell the team everything that was going on with him! He found his loophole! The phone calls were something that was going on with him! If he told the group his entire life story, the mysterious messages would be out in the open! He was ecstatic. But what did the caller say exactly about telling them?<p>

_If I hear anything of you telling your team or anyone else, there will be consequences._

Reid shivered, not wanting to know anything that was having a probability of happening. He decided on number two, telling himself his team knowing everything about him was better than shooting up again. He hated to think that, but anything was better than those damned drugs. He took a relived sigh, the tensed when he stepped from the bathroom where Gideon, stoic and silent, was standing right next to the doorway.

"Um, is there something you need…?" Reid asked, wondering the older agent's business.

Gideon shrugged. "Nothing, just waiting to use the restroom."

Reid raised his eyebrows as he turned away from the bathroom, walking back towards his previous seat next to Morgan, who was still blasting music. He hated the fact Gideon was always profiling him, even if him and Hotch were like surrogate fathers to the young genius.

Gideon watched as the young man walked away, his mind trying to calculate exactly what was going on with the young man. He only wished he could have a positive effect on the situation, whatever it was, before it was too late.

He hoped Reid would tell someone what was going on, even if it wasn't him.

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><p>Spencer was pacing back and forth in the mens' restroom at the B.A.U. waiting for exactly six o'clock the next night. He was down to three minutes left, his heartbeat getting stronger and a little hesitant to pick choice number two. That was the only one he could take, though. He couldn't leave them, and he wasn't ready to be abducted again even if the man said it was of his own free will. And there was no way he was going to be taking anything related to Dilaudid. No way in hell.<p>

His pace quickened and his heart skipped a beat when he heard the door open from the outside. He ducked inside a stall, raising his feet above the line of sight and somewhat crouching on the toilet. There were two different sets of feet, one heavier than the other, making more noise. Reid could only hope they would be out by the time the phone rang.

His eyes flicked to his watch. Two minutes left.

"So I'm not the only that thinks something's going on with him besides what he brought up?" the first man asked.

Reid identified the voice as Gideon.

"Oh, hell no. Something else is definitely going on with our homeboy. I don't know why he's not saying anything. But whatever, it's Reid. He'll bring it up when he feels comfortable doing so." Morgan.

Gideon sighed. "I know, but what if he tells us when it's too late? There's nothing that says he's ever going to tell us… He probably would have never said anything about shooting up besides the fact you sort of forced him to."

Reid pulled his foot up a little farther, trying to be as quiet as he could as he repositioned himself on the seat. Gideon was right; he probably would have never said anything unless Morgan caught him. He was too ashamed. Spencer's thoughts were put on hold as Morgan began to counter Gideon's statement.

"I think he would of said something. Jason, everything that we don't know about is eating him up inside. Lately, he's not even Reid. More like Reid's silhouette." Morgan's words got caught in the back of his throat. "I can't accept the fact he would never say anything, because if he kept quiet, he'd end up killing himself."

Reid peeked through the crack in the stall, eyeing his superior and his best friend talk about him. Morgan had a point, too. Now that Reid was thinking about it, he noticed how empty he was feeling, even though he was at work and should at least be occupied with paperwork or something else to keep his mind off of everything that was going on, but theses damned phone calls were interrupting everything.

Gideon placed his hand on Morgan's shoulder, trying to reassure the young man. "Derek," he started, the look in his eyes pained and distant, "if Reid is planning on telling us, it'll happen sooner than you think. It's driving him away from us slowly, but surely, and if he knows what's best for him and this entire team, he'll tell us. We just have to wait until he's ready."

Morgan nodded, taking a step away from the wall and towards the bathroom door, eyeing Gideon before he left. The door slowly creaked open and Derek slipped out before the door slid shut.

The older man stood where he was soundly, not moving for a moment. Then, his head turned to the left, Reid thinking the older man was looking right at him. Because he was looking right at him!

"Spencer," Gideon said, staring through the crack in the stall.

Reid knew he couldn't just sit there. He let out a quiet sigh, getting up from his perched position and moving towards the door. He eyed Gideon once more before he slowly opened the door, feeling guilty he was listening to their conversation. Then again, they were the ones who walked in on him.

Spencer stood before the older man, cell phone in hand and the older hand resting firmly in his pocket. He saw Gideon eye his phone, and then the older agent glanced back up to the young genius, seeing right through his façade. Gideon knew Reid wanted help, wanted someone to talk to, and knew that there was something, or someone, that was keeping him from it.

Reid's thoughts stopped.

Gideon knew about the phone calls.

"I want to listen in, Spencer," Jason said, only confirming Spencer's suspicion.

Reid shook his head. "He won't let you."

"It's a bathroom, there's bound to be echoes. Just put it on speaker and I'll sit here in silence."

Spencer quirked his lips to the side, looking up and around the room before glancing back at Gideon, his eyes hurt and somewhat scared. "He's listening. He'll know you're here."

Jason Gideon sighed, trying to keep a straight face for the younger man in front of him. He had to stay calm, otherwise Spencer would freak out. "What's your greatest fear, Spencer?"

Reid's eyebrows rose in wonder of what this was going to help Gideon. 'I don't know…" Spencer said trailing off. "I-I guess it would be becoming like my mother… A paranoid schizophrenic."

Gideon gave the younger man a soft smile, one that Spencer wished his father would have gave him. "If you don't help yourself here, we're never going to able to help you defeat the odds."

Spencer frowned. "I won't be able to defeat the odds, Gideon. My mom had it, and surrogates give it to at least one of the offspring, and I'm the only child. I'll be one before I die."

Gideon sighed once again. There wasn't any getting to this kid was there? He could only tell Spencer what he knew; he didn't want to feed his surrogate son lies. "That's true, Spencer. But if you-"

His thoughts were interrupted by the blaring ring of Reid's cell phone. The younger man glanced up at him, the older man giving a nod.

"You can only listen to my half, Gideon. Sorry, but I'm not taking any chances."

Before the older man could object, Reid had already pressed the small lit green button and was holding the device to his ear.

Six o'clock.

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><p><strong>There's chapter five! :D Tell me what you think! RR, please! :D:D  
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	6. Precedent

**I'm so sorry for the cliffhanger! I couldn't help it! xD Don't worry, I'm not going to skip ahead. You'll get to hear the conversation from Spencer's view. ;D**

**Happy almost end of summer vacation because my school's retarded!**

**Here you go, this is chapter six!**

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><p>Six o'clock.<p>

Spencer Reid held the phone to his ear after hitting the green button, not wanting to make the man wait. He didn't want to have any more tensions arise. Gideon was watching him, ultimately making the young man more nervous than he already was. He turned away from the older agent, telling himself that if he didn't see Gideon this was going to be easier. He wouldn't be distracted and he wouldn't have to feel the pressure of both of them there. "Spencer Reid," he said, keeping his voice calm and level.

"_Hello, Spencer. I hope you've made your decision."_

The air caught in the back of Reid's mouth as he tried to respond. This was different, having Gideon here. He cleared his throat, not giving the man the satisfaction. "Yeah, I made my choice."

Spencer could feel the man's smile in delight through the phone. _"Great, just great!" _the man said cheerily, making Spencer's stomach a little queasy. _"What option do you choose, Dr. Reid?"_

Reid stayed quiet for a moment, wanting to make the right decision, the only possible decision. It was the second choice, and he knew that. But he also knew he wanted this to end, no questions asked, and no more phone calls. If he picked one or two, there was no saying that the man would ever leave him alone. He wouldn't use Dilaudid, though, never again. He took a deep breath, clearing his thoughts. "Number two."

"_Oh, how disappointing. I guess we can continue playing then. Number three was the only way out."_

The younger agent kept his cool, not letting the man know that he was frightened. "I know," he replied calmly, his voice still level and even. He was doing the right thing, he continued to tell himself. He didn't want to go away forever with a creep, so number one was out of the question when he heard the choices. The only thing he was worried about was the Dilaudid. Was shooting up worth being left alone? And who said this man would actually leave him alone? He could call him any time, not planning on leaving Reid alone until one of them died.

The man chuckled, making Reid's skin tingle. _"You have until this time tomorrow to tell your team everything about you. Your entire life story. Don't live a single thing out. I know you remember everything, and the need to know it, too. That's part of being a team; you need to build up trust. If I see a major thing left out, the consequence will be major. Minor thing left out, minor consequence. Do you understand, Dr. Reid?"_

Reid's knees buckled underneath him. Only twenty four hours? His jaw wavered. "I understand."

"_Good,"_ the man said, the tone of his voice putting Reid on edge. _"I'll call at the end of your deadline, making sure they know everything about you."_

Reid held the phone away from his ear after hearing the line click dead. He had one day to let his team know everything about him. The only thing he could wish for was that there wouldn't be a case.

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><p>"Why are you telling us this now, Reid?"<p>

"I can't tell you."

The young agent sat at the conference table, holding his cup of coffee close to his heart, possibly in an unconscious attempt to warm it. The room was full of his team: Aaron Hotchner watching him from across the room, asking most of the questions; his best friend, Derek Morgan, sitting next to him and demanding answers; Jason Gideon, his father-figure and mentor, eyeing him carefully, sort of knowing what was going on; Jennifer Jareau, the young media-liaison, standing next to Emily Prentiss who were both glancing around the room when Spencer would look over to them, but would stare when he looked away; and bubbly Penelope Garcia, who was included through the large television screen on the wall, connected to the laptop that Garcia herself hooked up to the input jack.

"Like hell you can tell us!" That was Morgan, exploding from across the table, slamming his fist down on the wood.

Spencer flinched, reacting unconsciously to the pound on the table and the noise it sent up to his ears.

Hotch took notice, glancing over at both agents sitting at the table. Gideon did, too, looking over to Hotch who was coming up behind Morgan. "Derek, we can't freak out. If Reid can't tell us, he can't tell us. But at least he's telling us something."

Reid glanced up at the unit chief, knowing somehow in a weird roundabout way, Hotch knew what was going on and didn't want to have the rest of the team go ballistic.

So far, they had gotten to the point in Reid's life when his father left, the entire team knowing now his reasons for doing so. Then, Reid had just started his first year of high school. He was ten. Nothing about his high school career was worth sharing, just old memories he'd never want to relive. But he had to let the team know_ everything_. That stupid ten letter word was going to be the end of his life.

Morgan, about to say something, was interrupted by Reid, who was supposed to be talking in the first place. "After my dad left, I was placed in public high school by my elementary school teachers. My dad always told me he's get me in a school for the smartest kids around, but that never happened, obviously. At school, I was bullied constantly. I mean, I guess I was always expecting it. I was the genius kid who got himself into high school at age twelve. It was going to happen eventually." Reid caught himself before he got too far into the next stage, taking a few deep breaths. "I would stay back after school some days, going to work on something before I went home. Just random things, I don't know, little things to keep my mind off my home life and stuff. One time, I was working in the library on a report that was due the day after it was assigned and I didn't have a computer at the time, then the football team came in and told me they wanted to teach me some passes. I could tell, some of them thought that's exactly what was going to happen. It didn't though.

"I saved my progress on the computer and followed them out to the field, heading for the locker room. I guess I had this gut feeling that something was going to fail, or I was going to end being the football. I don't know, going to high school in Las Vegas at the young wasn't my smartest choice. When we got down there, the guys who were genuinely going to pass the ball around with me were exhaled from the room, leaving only four guys. Daniel Harris was the first to do anything at all, then the others joined in before I knew what was going on.

"They had me stripped down before I even knew my shirt was off and the four of them casually took turns with me, trying to arouse themselves somehow. I don't know. I felt violated and sick; I really just wanted to go home.

"It wasn't until the next day that I noticed anything was physically wrong with me. I had rope burn on my wrists from where they tied me to the bench and I was bruised pretty much everywhere. My back was killing me and I had a sprained ankle from where one of them kicked him, trying to hold me down. I don't know why anything really happened that day, but that wasn't the end of it.

"Those four would come by a couple time a month and tell me it was time to play. It wasn't too long before my physics teacher figured it out, expelling the kids and getting me enrolled in mental therapy where my mom used to teach. Not too long after that, he started, too. It was like I was the town bicycle; all these people were just taking me for a ride."

"Wait," Morgan said, interrupting. "So you were raped by your classmates, and then the teacher that got you help?"

Reid could only nod, not wanting to see anyone's face. He would feel even more ashamed to know they were sorry for him. He let it happen. He had convinced himself of that. If he really wanted it to stop, he would have gone to the police or someone, but he didn't. The only person that knew was him, and now the team as well. But he couldn't change it now. What's done is done; you can't go back and change it.

Even though Spencer couldn't see it, Morgan's expression was changed into one full of pain and anger, Reid knowing the fury that was raging inside his mind, heart, and soul. It was one of the weird things that the pair of them could talk about, since they were the only ones that knew exactly what it was like: the terror and confusion, everything in between. It was like hell on earth to know that your best friend went through all the pain you did, even if you felt some sort of relief from knowing.

Spencer stayed silent for a few minutes, letting the team have time to digest what he had already said, preparing himself for what he was going to tell them next, had to tell them next. The young agent took a deep breath, getting ready to start up again.

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><p><em>The young boy was screaming, trying desperately to crawl away, only to be sunk in closer to the older man, who was holding a tan belt in his hands, snapping it as the leather clapped together. The boy, no more than eleven years old, had tears pouring out of his eyes, only able to defend himself with his bloody hands. He cried once more, begging the man to stop.<em>

"_What the hell, Spencer? You fucking let them do everything to you, did nothing, and expect me to help? I can't believe you! You little whore!" The belt came down in between his thigh and his calf, buckling his legs, and making the young boy crash to the ground. He was bawling now, knowing he was unable to prevent anything else from happening. His head slumped under his upper chest after the impact made him sink to the linoleum._

_He tried to get up, to make the man stop; make something happen that could get him out of this situation. He wanted nothing more than to go home, take a shower, and cry himself to sleep. It was bad enough he had an eidetic memory, wanting to cry even more knowing he would never forget this. _

_But getting up only made the man angrier, sending the belt across his back, causing the boy to hit the floor once again. His wails of pain and hurt were only making the man more resentful, he knew, but he couldn't help the water that was bucketing from the back of his eyes._

_The man huffed, setting the belt down on a coffee table somewhere across the room, sinking into the couch. "It sickens me, Spencer. That would allow those kids to do those things to you, and never say anything to anyone. It means you're weak, and the only reason they picked you to torment is because you are weak. They knew you would never say anything to anyone. They picked you and solely you because they knew, they knew that they could get to you and you would do nothing about it. You're fucking frail, Spencer. Puny, weedy, pathetic, and weak."_

_Spencer let out another weep, begging the man to stop._

"_You know, for being so weak, I should show you a lesson. Then maybe you'll toughen up a bit, huh?"_

"_P-Please… d-don't…" Spencer managed to mumble, the water still raining from his soaked chocolate brown orbs._

_The man gave the younger boy a smirk, unfastening the buckle on his work slacks, causing the boy to fill with tears. He picked up the belt again, standing up and walking back over to Spencer. The boy cried again, earning another whip from the leather, right on the verge of his collar bone and spinal cord. The boy collided with the tile, his face slamming down onto the dirty floor. His pants were being yanked off before he knew what was happening, then the almost unconscious boy was frantically trying to get himself away from the man, knowing what was going to happen next. The man pulled him back by the waist band, the young boy anxiously pulling the other direction._

_The belt slammed down on his upper thighs, creating a bulging red welt. He knew there was no use fighting it now. He was beat up all over the place, his skin covered in patches of blue and purple bruises and flesh wounds from the impact of the belt hitting skin. He silently cried, knowing that there was no stopping it, no trying to fight it, and nothing he could do about it. He was stuck here, in this house, in the dark, and along under this man who was holding him to the linoleum with a force upon his shoulders._

_He didn't yell the first time, knowing that it was going to happen, but not expecting the thrust to hit him that hard. He felt the man inside, parts of him being torn out by the member in his body that was clearly not wanted there._

_He cried, the water pouring down his face. Then it hit him again; he tried to hold in his whimpers of pain, but couldn't, hoping that he wouldn't any more consequences due to his inability to be strong._

_The third time was the worst. The portion fully inside him, hardening before the older man yanked out._

_Spencer choked on a cry, the pain of his ripping rectum immense. "Stop! Dad!"_

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><p><strong>Thank you for reading! Review please! :D:D <strong>

**This chapter made me cry, but I was also listening to RJA, so that wasn't helping much. Anyway, thank you! :')**

**BFE/N(Best Friend End/Note): This chapter also made me cry, and I don't watch the series on a daily basis. ;_;**


	7. Exposure

**I hope that wasn't too out there for the end of a chapter. xD I want to finish this soon, and if all goes as plan I will, but my muse normally gets her way, so this'll end up being some long ass story or something. It also depends on what our mysterious caller has in mind. **

**Anyway, thanks for the favorites, subscriptions, and reviews! :D They mean a lot! **

**Here's chapter seven! R/R!**

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><p>The team was silent for a couple moments as Spencer finished up explaining that night, one of the few memories he never wanted to remember. By the end of the explanation, Reid was griping the arm of the chair so tight that Morgan had placed his hand on the former's, trying to calm down the younger man. It hadn't worked too well and Spencer had freaked out even more by the touch, making Morgan take back his hand.<p>

Garcia was crying lightly on the other side of the screen, tissues surrounding the keyboard of her computer.

JJ and Prentiss were silent, the latter biting her bottom lip snuggly and Jayje was on the verge of tears that somehow weren't already pouring out.

Gideon, as the surrogate father-figure towards Reid, wanted to go over to the young man and place a hand on his back, or give him a hug of sorts, wishing he could say it would get all better. But Gideon was a profiler, and he knew that that would only cause more problems. Reid had already reacted in fear when Morgan simply placed a hand on his own. And then again, if William Reid was really the one who did that to Spencer, he doubted his father-figureness wouldn't help the young man out any.

Hotch kept his distance, not knowing what was fully going on, but understood that Reid and Gideon both did to some extent. Reid wasn't one to come out and tell people anything, much less his entire life experience, especially the ones he didn't want to trudge up.

Morgan was the one sitting right next to Reid, so he was probably the most affected. His eyes were hard and cold, just like they were the last time he stared Carl Buford in the eyes. He wanted to comfort Spencer, tell him that that was the past and the future was all up to him, but he knew that that's not what you believe in that situation at all.

Spencer was the most silent, letting the team and himself soak up everything that was going on in his raging mind. He felt sick, having to relive the moment so vividly. Violated, insecure, everything that went along with being raped by your father.

Reid had gone to his dad in attempts to get help, which was surely what hadn't come out of the situation. He knew that his mother wouldn't be able to do anything; she wasn't even lucid half of the time. So he tracked down William Reid, found out where his father was located, and went to find him. He ended up doing so, but the consequences were more immense than he could imagine.

It had been fourteen years since that day, the last time he had seen his father.

And now it felt like the incident had just happened yesterday.

"Did you tell anyone about what happened?"

It was Hotch that broke the silence, summoning Reid's eyes up to meet his own. The young man's irises were swarming with hurt and sadness. Hotch couldn't make out exactly what was going on in Reid's head, but he had his ideas.

"Not until now, no," Spencer said, glancing away quickly before he spoke. If he looked Aaron in the eye when he talked, he thought he would break down right then and there. It was surprising to even him that he hadn't done so yet, considering everything he had shared so far. "I had a lot going on with the stuff at school and keeping my mom on her medication. That was the last time I saw my father. I haven't tried to see him since, nor do I plan on ever seeing him again."

Spencer sighed, not knowing how to move past this speed bump. He only had a couple of hours left, and he needed to get through the next fourteen years of his life in that time. He was frightened what the consequences would be if he couldn't comply with this man's terms. Then again, he didn't intend to find out.

Gideon flashed him a glance, both trying to communicate with hidden facial gestures alone. They would have to talk at a later point, though, because Hotch was catching on and Reid was running out of time.

"I graduated when I was twelve, as you all know, and got my first degree when I was sixteen. College was boring and I rode my bike every day. I'm not sure if you all know it, but Gideon was one of my professor's colleagues, so he taught us from time to time, coming in for small lectures now and then."

Reid kept going for around an hour and a half, telling his story and once in a while stealing small glances around the room to keep tabs on what the team was thinking. Their faces would explain everything. The way they creased their foreheads to the way they nervously licked their lips. It was the basics of profiling, aka Sociology 101. And considering that Spencer was a profiler, it was like breathing to him now. So worn into his system that he did it without even knowing what he was doing.

He had the entire team profiled, now that he knew more about them then he probably should have.

He stopped talking for a second, noticing the team was all looking at him. He glanced around at them, eyeing them all individually, examining the ways that they were all watching him so he could make better predictions of exactly what was going on with them, internally and externally.

"What?" he asked, his eyes hitting Gideon the hardest.

"In my opinion," Hotch began, all the eyes in the room floating over to him, "it's a stereotype that geniuses have life easy." He paused, glancing solely on Spencer. "I'm pretty sure you just knocked that stereotype out the window, Reid. You've had a harder life than I realized."

Prentiss nodded, still standing next to JJ, who was clenching old and dried out tissues in her palm and walking over to the trash can next to Gideon.

The latter was still watching Reid intently, trying to read him and figure out what was going on in the young man's mind.

Spencer only shrugged, his shoulders arching up towards his ears and then falling again as he let a sigh part from his lips. "Compared to some people, my life's been a walk in the park. But then again, in my own view, it hasn't been as peaceful as others. I sometimes wish I could go back and change a thing or two, but then I remind myself that everything that happened to me in the past is what builds me up to be a better person in the future. The only thing I can affect right now is the present and I guess I don't mind that in the slightest."

Morgan gave a small laugh, earning a confused look from Reid, which only made him chuckle harder.

"What's so funny?" Reid asked, his lip stuck out in a pout.

Morgan cocked a grin at the younger agent. "You're so modest, Reid. You go through all this shit in your life and the only thing you can say is that some people have it worse."

Spencer gave a small smile, taking Morgan's comment as a compliment. "Thanks, I guess."

Gideon kept watching him, not straying his eyes from the young man. He knew what came next, even though no one else did.

Reid knew it as well. It was time to take a phone call.

As if time was the messenger herself, Reid's phone rang from the bottom of his pocket right as he met eye contact with Gideon. They both glanced to his phone, Reid being the only one to leave the room.

Gideon watched the young doctor as he slowly slipped from the room, careful not to let anything from the conversation affect his appearance. The team wasn't supposed to know about the phone calls. Gideon himself barely knew anything about the phone calls.

In the back of his mind, something was telling him something but he couldn't register what was going on in the back of his head, then again, he really didn't want to. His thoughts were focused on Reid and how the younger man was taking everything that was going on. He hoped one of the others would catch on eventually. Then he wouldn't have to tell them himself.

"Jason," Hotch said loudly, breaking the other man's thoughts. It was the third time that Aaron had said his name but the first time he had heard it.

"Yes?" Gideon asked, wondering what was up with Hotch.

The room was already cleared besides the two eldest agents; Reid had gone to take his phone call in the bathroom, Morgan and Prentiss were seated at the former's desk, Garcia had logged herself off shortly after Reid left, and JJ was going through paper work to choose their next case.

Aaron sat down, landing his end on the edge of the conference room table, his eyes wandering over to where Reid had gone just moments before. "Do you have any idea why Reid decided to tell us his entire life story today?"

"I have my suspicions," Gideon said, trying not to say anything that would give it away. He couldn't tell anyone, even Hotch. This creeper said there would be consequences for the actions Reid made against him. Hotch would have to figure it out himself.

Hotch frowned. "You also know more than you're leading on, Jason," he replied, profiling the older man.

Gideon sighed and leaned back in the chair, glancing out the office window to where Aaron was looking out moments before. He knew Reid was going through a lot more than the team would be able to catch, but he hoped Aaron would be able to figure something out before he exploded. "Yeah, you're right. But, Aaron, I barely know anything more than what you do. And I'm not allowed to say anything, mainly because Spencer isn't allowed to say anything."

Hotch look out again, hoping Reid would exit the room sooner than later. "Does it have to do with those phone calls he's getting? Normally, the only people Reid calls are the team and his mother's clinic, and those phone calls are all ones he takes in front of us, because we all know what's going on. But these ones are different. He always gets away before answering them or leaves within fifteen seconds of actually answering the phone."

Gideon glanced back to the younger agent, who was now watching him with his neutral and unreadable grimace. "It had everything to do with those phone calls. From what I've gathered, Reid's been being contact by an unnamed man. I'm not really sure of the details, but he calls every night at six o'clock since I originally caught on. I don't know what's going on through their conversations; Reid won't let me listen in. But I do know the reason he told us that all today was because it was the will of this freak. Reid seems to believe that this guy is watching him, since he told me he was listening and that this person wouldn't let me listen to what they were saying. I'm guessing it's just a way to get Reid cut off from the rest of us. If I remember right, he also told me I could only listen to his half because he wasn't taking any chances." Gideon sighed, pulling his eyes away from Aaron as the door behind the both of them creaked open, the young genius stepping in, his phone still held awkwardly against his ear.

"Yes, one second," Spencer said in the phone. He shut the door, twisted the lock on the top, and walked over to Gideon, extending his scrawny arm with the phone in it. "Here, he wants to talk to you."

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><p><strong>EN: :o! Ah! I don't know, I guess I got carried away with this chapter and went in too much detail or something, since this is so far the biggest collective scene this story has seen. Random thing: ROSSI IS IN THE MOVIE VALENTINES DAY. :D:D:D:D:D His one line is: "Watch where you're driving, asshole. Use your damn turn signal, you freaking moron!" My sister called me into the living room and made me watch it in the midst of writing this. :D Anywho! Review, please? I love knowing what people think! Thanks!**

**Also, I have a poll on my profile for my next fanfic, since I can't chose. Will you help me? Thanks! :D  
><strong>


	8. Procedure

**A/N: I've been told that "Your cliffhangers just suck! No, they don't suck! They're just mean!" Huh. Creative criticism, yeah right. I love causing her pain. ;D xDDD Hey, she was being mean to me first. SHE HIT ME! D; Well, before you die to death of my boring friend (mwuauahahah), I guess I should get to chapter eight. And I better get writing before she hits me AGAIN. She's threatening me… DX Oh, and I'm trying my best to keep Gideon acting like Gideon, so if you see some sort of fault in his character, tell me please! :D I love him and want to do him justice.  
><strong>

**ANYWAY. Here's chapter eight. Thank you for reading!**

**R/R!**

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><p>"Here, he wants to talk to you."<p>

Reid was holding the phone out to Gideon, who was staring up at the young man with curiosity in his eyes. Gideon reluctantly took the phone from the young man, holding the electronic to his ear and hearing a faint breath on the other end of the line.

"Jason Gideon," the agent said into the phone, his eyes focused on Reid alone, who was watching him carefully. The younger agent was way tenser than he was in the three hours before the phone call arrived and he, along with the eldest agent, knew that the phone call was inevitable. He was going to call and make sure that Reid had done everything he asked, they both knew that. But what was the reason for the caller to have Reid hand the phone over to Jason? It just didn't make sense. It was like throwing yourself in a bullpen wearing only red clothing: there was nothing about it that made sense, well, in the example maybe the fact that you'd end up dying in the first twenty-seven seconds of jumping in.

"_Yes, Mr. Gideon, I know who you are as well. And you were also the first one to figure out about my game with Dr. Reid, were you not?" _

The man, from Gideon's view, was a Caucasian with an inferiority complex that uses the pain of others to get over his own. He was already, to Gideon, a sadistic psychopath who was getting what he wanted simply from ordering their young genius around. Reid valued his life and the lives of others higher than he did other things, so he would do anything that he could use to save himself from a fatal situation or one that he couldn't find an ounce of comfort in.

"Yes, I was," Gideon replied, keeping his voice even and toned. This man wasn't going to have any effect on him, not when Reid was standing right in front of him. He had to remain calm for the kid. And if Hotch was watching him as intently as it felt like he was, he didn't want to quaver in the slightest. He had to prove to them both that he was stronger than whoever this was. Mentally, psychologically, and physically; if only he could actually prove the last.

Gideon could feel the creepy grin running along the lips of Reid's phone stalker. _"I guess you're wondering why I've taken a sudden interest in the young doctor, am I correct?"_

The agent glanced over at Hotch before he turned his attention back to the team's autodidact. "Correct," Jason responded, his vocal chords tightening slightly at the end of the word. He couldn't let himself fold when Reid was right there. He was like the only thing the kid considered family up until this point! They knew each other even before the team was formed. Gideon was the reason Spencer Reid was on this team, he was the one who had gotten him the spot.

"_Well, Jason, Dr. Reid is a genius, as you all know. He's one of those few people that get acknowledged for their smartness. Most of them go unseen, no one ever hearing of them."_

"And you're one of them?" Gideon asked, the back of his mind putting this guys life together piece by piece.

"_Ding ding ding," _the caller sang into the microphone of his own phone. _"We have a winner. Good profiling, Mr. Gideon, very good." _The man paused but Gideon said nothing. _"Dr. Reid has not told you the reason you're on the line, has he? No, he wouldn't have had the time from entering the room and handing you the phone to let you in on that bit of information, would he? No, no, no, Mr. Gideon. Dr. Reid isn't a superhero, just a genius with a team that only understands half of what he says."_

"Why are you contacting Spencer? Do you want something from him?" Gideon was tired of this man beating around the bush, trying to get under his skin. The only reason it was bugging him was because Reid had this look in his eye that the world was going to end tomorrow, maybe even today. To Gideon, he just looked to hopeless standing there. There was no way that was the genius they knew and loved could look like that all the time. Gideon was going to have to make this stop. Whatever this freak had told Reid was something that was tearing him apart.

The man huffed a little, using the air he took in to give a short chuckle to the other end of the line. _"Oh, Gideon, do I wish this was only about Spencer, I really do. It would have been better to leave you out of this, but you just had to listen in when he was on the plane and when you all got back to Quantico. I guess that Dr. Reid didn't understand my instructions like I told him to. It's sad, it really is, that someone is going to have to pay for the mistake that your little mastermind made. He should have been more careful, but due to him slipping up, there's going to be consequences. I hate this, I really do, but Spencer was unable to comply with my terms and he already knew that was one of my rules. I did indeed lay them out in the beginning; you can ask Dr. Reid himself if you doubt me." _The man sighed, still not giving Gideon time to respond. _"I only wanted to play one round of the game, but Dr. Reid went and picked a choice the left me hanging. Then I had to think of some more ideas."_

Gideon kept his eyes on Reid through it all. Hotch was still sitting there, his eyes on Gideon most of the time, but would occasionally float over towards Reid and then settle back on the eldest one of the bunch. It was like they had some type of telepathic conversation, Spencer and Jason, just sitting there.

"What were the other rules?" Gideon asked, hoping the information would allow him to profile the man a little better. His eyes remained on Reid, even when the autodidact would glance away.

"_Rule number one was that there would be no telling to your team, which Dr. Reid did not follow. Number two was that if the rules were not followed, there would be consequences, and three was that if the rules were followed, there would be rewards. The latter two weren't really rules, just the regulations that went along with the first."_

Gideon turned his eyes to Hotch for a moment after Reid turned his head away from the older agent. The doctor knew he didn't do what the man wanted and Gideon knew the only things floating in his head were guesses of what could come out of it. The thought scared Gideon a bit, too. Who knew what a psycho genius would do? It was like guessing what would happen if Reid had turned to the criminal arts instead of the act of justice. Scary, scary thoughts.

"I see," Gideon said, running his middle finger down the leg of the conference table. "I'm still confused on why you had the doctor hand me the phone."

The man at the end of the line chuckled sadistically, so loud into the mouthpiece that Reid glanced over with a horrific look on his face. The new options that this weirdo had given Spencer must have been a thousand times worse than the ones he was given the first time, whatever they were, Gideon was thinking to himself.

"_I want you to help the young agent pick his next choice, Mr. Gideon."_

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><p><em>Knowing that Gideon was watching him as he left, he shut the door and walked to the bathroom, hitting the talk button exactly fourteen and seven tenth feet from the men's room door. "I told them everything, I don't know what else you want from me," he muttered, walking into the tiled room and closing the pine door behind him. This call would change something, he had told himself, and he wanted no interruptions. He rotated the deadbolt to the right and then switched the smaller knob under it to locked. He knew it was an office bathroom and that there were multiple stalls, but the safety and security he felt when he locked that door was immense.<em>

"_Oh, Dr. Reid, you are that kind of person, aren't you? You've been so tense, inside and out, since that incident with Tobias Hankel. You do hate dilaudid, don't you? I can see it in your eyes when you think about it. The fact you continued with it so long makes you sick. I just like seeing you look weak." The man gave a short cackle before going back to his stoicism and leaving Reid to his own devices._

_Reid groaned under his breath, leaning against the wall farthest from the main door, letting his knees buckle and his body crush to the linoleum that was resting under his feet. He was so sick and tired of dealing with this guy, especially when he didn't even know what the creep really wanted. Maybe this had nothing to do with him. Maybe it was something that was concerning the team. Maybe this guy just say Reid as the member easiest to get to, and that made the genius feel even weaker than he already did._

"_You're right, I hate dilaudid. I hate everything about that day and I don't even use narcotics anymore. No painkillers, nothing. I'll go the natural way from now on. I'm scared every second on the field that if I end up in the hospital, they'll give me something like morphine, and it'll be an instant relapse for me. Are you happy? Have you got what you wanted?"_

_The man only laughed. Reid almost thought that he was younger than the first profile he gave to him. Maybe younger than Reid himself. "You also hate the fact that you seem so weak to yourself when you talk to me. You're scared of the list of choices I'll give you next and you're scared to find out if you ever do something wrong. You're scared because you have no idea what the consequences will be if you go against anything that I say. You're scared because you can't tell anyone. That no one is supposed to know, yet somehow your mentor Jason Gideon does. You're scared by the fact that I know and I am watching you. You're scared because you know something will happen now. You're scared because someone is going to have to face the consequences of your actions. You're scared because you know that someone is going to be you."_

_Reid stayed sitting against the wall, holding the phone in his hand, on the verge of dropping the hunky electronic. He was right. He was scared; scared of what could happen, what might happen, and what was going to happen. There was no words to explain how incredibly freaked out Spencer Reid was when the caller brought up the fact that Gideon had know about Spencer's contact with whoever the hell this was._

"_Your silence says it all, Dr. Reid."_

_About to say something, all words failed the genius. He wasn't even able to process them enough in his mind to tell himself exactly what he was going to say. It didn't matter anyways, since this anonymous psycho was continuing with his thought._

"_Due to your failure at keeping these conversations private, I'm going to give you three more choices to choose from. Choice number one: I get to do whatever the hell I want with you. No questions asked. Along with this, I'll give out the location we go to to your team mates at a later date, along with all the information they want about me. Again, no questions asked. Choice number two: the same scenario as choice number one, except instead of me taking you, I'll take one of your teammates. My choice. And last but not least, choice number three: same scenario as both choice number one and choice number two, except a team member of your choice."_

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><p>Gideon glanced up from the phone that was somehow still in his grasps at Reid, who was practically on the verge of tears.<p>

"_Mr. Gideon, you and Dr. Reid will have to decide the fate of your team. I'm going to be calling at the same time tomorrow. Not one second later."_

The eldest man in the room kept his eyes on the youngest for a long while after the line went dead. "Oh, Reid." His voice was full of terror and sorrow as he watched the youngest member of their team break down.

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><p><strong>EN: Bwuahahahahaha. I'm sorry, I don't know if people will consider me evil now. I DON'T CARE. Hehe, thoughts?**

**BFE/N (Best friend's end note): First off, completely random, but I do not like her mouse, or tiny space bar. They piss me off. Secondly, I love her freaking story, even if I do sometimes hate where she ends at and have to smack her. Which, so far, had only been after chapters seven and eight. Chapter six just made me cry. So keep reading, and keep reviewing, or else I'm going to have to listen to her scream about not getting reviews. And then I'll rape yo' cat! Thanks! :D**

**I'm sorry if this going to affect anybody, but I've hit a small patch of writer's block with this. I'm also not going to be able to post for around a week. School starts next Friday for me, so I've been setting up parts of my schedule and craming in time to get schol supplies for me and my younger siblings. :P Plus, I'm going on a short vacation with my mother into the city to check out some musuems and some University campuses that I've been looking at for a while. Another plus, I also have to get in my scholarship essay in before school starts if I want to win the Wal-mart scholarship for Illinois. I've written it, but I still need to redo parts and fix it up tones.**

**Today, thursday, will probably be the last time I post before school starts for me. I'm sorry is this is going to cause and inconvinence.**

**Have a nice week! :D**


	9. Breakdown

**I wanted to say that I am so sorry that I haven't written anything or updated anything until now! I am so sorry! I feel terrible. D: I worked on Thursday and Friday, visited my grandma on Saturday, went to a party on Sunday, ran errands all day Monday, got my hair done and visited some old schools on Tuesday. Yeah, it's been a busy week. I'm at my faternal grandmother's house now and figured out she had a laptop! Ah! It's great! :D SO yeah! Here we go. This is chapter nine:**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and am no way profiting from this story.**

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><p>"Hey, what do you think is going on in there?" Morgan asked, leaning over to Prentiss's desk as he kept his eyes on the conference room. They floated to Prentiss as he waited for the female agent to answer.<p>

She tore her eyes from the paperwork that was amounting on her desk, meeting Morgan's eyes with her own and then turning back towards the upper office as well. She started to speak then bit her words back. She had her suspicions but it wasn't really something she could just come out and say. "I don't know," she admitteed, her eyes moving back to Morgan as the other agent stood up and moved towards the upper level. "Morgan, what are you doing?"

The first agent glanced over his shoulder then continued moving forward, Emily hopping up right on his tail. "Somethings wrong, I just need to know what."

They moved swiftly towards the conference room, both of them stopping at the door. Morgan was hunched over so he could peer in the door window before he moved within the room.

"What Morgan?" Prentiss asked, trying to look beyong the agent as he blocked the doorway.

"Reid," Morgan muttered, moving one of his hands over his face.

Prentiss moved the other agent out of the way, twisting the doorknob and barging into the room. She stood there, frozen, wondering what was going on. Reid was on one knee, his head bent over towards the carpet and settled diagonal from Gideon. The latter was still sitting in the desk chair, pulled out a little from the conference table. His eyes were downcast and watching Reid and Reid alone. Hotch was watching him as well, once in a while sneaking a glance at Gideon, but mostly Reid in the same.

The agent's eyes windened as she saw water leaking from the young geniuses eyes. Morgan moved past her, just as Prentiss had done to him a few moments before. Crouching down next to the young man, Derek's arm wrapped around his tiny torso. Somewhat volentarily, Reid's arms found themselves snuggling Morgan back as soon as Morgan arms were around him. His ribcage was shaking as Derek's eyes widened. The autodidact was having a hard time chocking back broken sobs.

The older and more physically equipped agent sat there, the younger one having a water show all over his gray muscle shirt. Morgan tensed as Reid's hands clutched at the back of his top as if the genius was latching onto him and not ready to let go. Derek's eyes wandered up from the carpet to meet Gideon, the agent mouthing the words, "what the hell happened?"

Gideon just shook his head the same time Reid's torso rattling in another torn cry. Morgan bit his lip and let the younger agent tighten his grip. Derek returned the gesture moments later. If Reid was freaking out, this must be something big. There was no way the genius would be acting this way if it was something minor. That kid knew how to keep his composure, almost as good as Hotch, now matter the situation. But now, the tears wouldn't stop. He was sitting there, rocking in Morgan's chest, trying to stiffle the sobs, but the waster wouldn't stop pouring out of him.

He was afraid.

He felt weak, finding the comfort only in the arms of his bestfriend. Finally, after a few more minutes of clinging to Morgan and soaking his shirt, Reid's breaths finally evening out and he pulled himself from Morgan just a tad, then slid further back so he could see all the agents in the room.

Morgan watched him carefully, studying him and trying to figure out what was going on in his genius mind.

"Sorry about that, Morgan," Reid said, grazing the back of his hand over his blood-reddened chocolate brown eyes. He downcasted, not wanting to look at anyone. Morgan leaned forward, causing the genius to meet his eyes at the older agent set his hand on the other man's inner shoulder.

"There's nothing to apologize for, kid," Morgan replied, removing his hand from the genius. "What happened anyway? I mean, what caused you to break like that?"

Reid subconsciously flinched. Had he really_ broke_? Had it really been that bad? He never shows emotion, the change in his attitude must have affected the rest of them, since they were all standing or sitting there, watching him. He couldn't afford to do that again. He neede to build up his demeanor as soon as he could. "Um," he started, the words caught in the back of his throat. "I-I have to go," he muttered, getting off the ground and away from Morgan, out of the conference room. He shut the door, clicking it lightly after him. He stayed there for a second, looking 180 degrees from the office. He took a couple deep breaths before he parted his back from the door, looking visibly okay, but mentally terrified.

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><p><strong>Next chapter will be 3,000 words due to the shortness of this chapter! I'm sorry. ;_; I feel bad now. This is all I have for now and figured you deserved to read it as fast as I could update it.<strong>

**Review please? I love to know what you think and why you're still reading this! :D**


	10. Confrontation

**Hello! It's been a while since I've posted anything for this, so I'm sorry. :/ I hope I can make it up to y'all or something (p.s.: I never say y'all, just too lazy to type 'you all.' XD). I'm going to make this a long chapter, though, so I'm going to key in that I started writing this Thursday the 18****th****. I have no idea when it'll be posted, but probably not that date (aka today). So yeah, I'm not going to waste anymore time.**

**Here is chapter ten! (I hope I can get over 25,000 thousand with this one).**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and am no way profiting from this story.**

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><p>The conference room was quiet for a long while after Spencer Reid had left its contents. The other agents were still there, not making eye contact with one another and all thinking either two things: 'what is Reid going to pick?' or, 'what the hell happened?'<p>

Gideon broke the stare first, turning to Morgan and waited for the younger man to look at him. In the background, Agent Prentiss shuffled out of the room as well, not to overwhelm Doctor Reid, but to talk to their tech Garcia.

"What happened, Gideon?"

The older agent knew he had to tell the team as soon as possible, but he knew that if he told them, there would be consequences for the young genius that he wouldn't want to imagine. He told himself that Reid would be smart and not answer the phone the next time, since apparently this guy never said any rules against that, but Gideon doubted there would be even worse penalties if he didn't talk to him in the first place. Something he was wondering about though, was when the hell this guy got contact of Reid the first time. He knew it had to be when they were in New Mexico, but when had it been exactly? He might want to talk to the kid about that.

It made him sick that Reid could pick to send himself to this freak, wherever the hell he was. But Reid was obviously Reid and that kid would sacrifice himself to save someone he didn't even know. He thought back to around a year ago when Reid told the team to go downstairs when he was face to face with a serious bomber. He was there, his skinny arms extended as if he was surrendering himself to the guy, but he told them all to go downstairs when he saw the bomb attached to the Fisher King.

The man shook the thought from his mind and turned his attention to Morgan, who was still watching him, waiting for an answer of sorts.

"I'm not sure that I'm allowed to discuss his business with you."

"Like hell you aren't, Gideon, what's going on?"

"As I said, I'm sure that I can't tell you."

"Who said that? Reid?"

"No, Derek, it's just something that can't be discussed."

"Gideon, I swe-"

"Derek!" Hotch yelled, causing both agents to look at him.

The room was silent for a few moments while both Gideon and Morgan remained fixated on Hotch. The Unit Chief cleared his throat, focusing his eyes on Morgan. "It's nothing against you, Morgan, but in this case, Gideon and I are the only ones that know what's going on beside Reid himself and that's the way it has to stay. For his safety. The two of us shouldn't even know but from time to time Spencer wasn't that good at covering up his tracks. You'll know soon enough, but for now, that's the way it has to be. Do you understand?"

Morgan stayed there, listening to Hotch with his teeth clenched against each other as he finally took an aggravated sigh. "I understand. If my not knowing can help him, I guess I'll wait until he can talk about it."

Hotch nodded and glanced out of the conference room to view the young genius sitting at his desk with his head laid down across the desk top. The paperwork he was supposed to finish that morning was scattered all over and around his skull as it was resting amongst the other things lying around his desk. Agent Hotchner's focus was sent to the door as two quick knocks came from the other side, and when he looked over, agent Jareau was walking in and shutting the door as quietly as she could.

"Yes, JJ?" He asked, meeting her eyes as she approached the table. She set some papers on the table then slid them across the table top as she pulled one of the chairs around her as she sat down.

"I got these a couple minutes ago from an envelope with no return address. I though you would want to see them as soon as possible." She stole a glance out the window at the genius who was hunched over his desk. "I didn't show them to Reid because they might of thrown him off or something, so I brought them right here."

Hotch took the papers from the table and studied them one by one, making sure he took in the entire picture that was featured on each one. When he finished with one, he set it on the paper and Morgan snatched it away to get a better look since Gideon was looking at them as Hotch flipped through them.

"Does this have something to do with what's going on with Reid?" Morgan asked after viewing a couple of the mailed images.

The room got tense for a couple moments after Gideon and Hotch cleared the stack and passed them off to Morgan so the latter could look each and every one over.

"Morgan, I don't want to have to explain the situation twice, so go get Garcia and Prentiss. Then I can tell you what we need to do," Hotch told the younger agent, acknowledging the small nod that came from him. After Morgan cleared the room, Gideon and Hotch exchanged a glance and JJ remained silent and seated.

Hotch opened his mouth to speak, but before he could get a single word out, he was interrupted by Morgan who was slightly enraged, unkempt, and worried.

He panted twice before he was able to get the words out, but they came shortly. "Reid…" he said, the carbon dioxide huffing out of his lungs, "he's gone."

The senior agent looked down at the conference table, a hiss threatening to escape his lips. The pictures that were scattered around the top were entirely of the youngest agent either in his house or at places nearby. This guy wasn't just a normal genius that stalked people like him; he was the kind that made sure he was picking the right person before he did anything. And now, Hotch knew, that it was just going to get messy.

This guy wasn't joking around. He was going to make Reid pay for crossing him and letting the senior agents know about their little talks.

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><p><em>The only thing that Reid could think of was the pounding in the back of his head and the instinct that was shouting to him, telling him to make sure none of the other agents were hurt because of something he did.<em>

_He set his head on his desk in an attempt to clear some of the weird judgments his clouded mind was making. The bullpen was out of order and it seemed like every time he almost reached serenity, there was some mega noise that totally through him from his self-hypnosis. There was nothing normal about the situation he was in. How was he supposed to just sacrifice himself or one of his team mates on command? It couldn't happen. He himself knew that even for a genius he was still naïve and ignorant to some things and didn't always think everything through, but to him, this was just a basic that made the most sense to him._

_Sacrifice yourself to save the ones you love._

_And that's exactly what he was going to do._

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><p>The train station at Potomac Avenue was streaming with an array of people that seemed to match every race, religion, profession. Everything. The one person Doctor Reid couldn't place, though, was his mysterious caller. He had left the BAU around fifteen minutes ago and his phone had ringed when he was on the road. Spencer gave him his answer and the caller directed him to exactly where he was now. Something was off to him, because for some reason the caller decided to call him when it wasn't time. Was it possible that the man knew more about him than the genius realized?<p>

Indifferently, Reid parked his older model car in the parking lot at the station and stood on and platform, waiting for something or someone to stand out for him so he could take in everything he needed to before he would become this guy's prey. He knew it was a long shot, but he had to take it, especially if it was possibility he could save himself and the team.

Taking his mind away from the noise of the station, his phone vibrated from his sweater pocket.

_Morgan, _it read. Reid knew he shouldn't be risking the sanity of his team, but he couldn't face Morgan now if the agent knew what he was about to do. He hit a small button on the top of his phone and the ringing ceased and he placed the small electronic back into his pocket. He knew this would have a big impact on his life and career and he would most likely get fired from his job if he ever came back from this, but he wasn't about to let this guy hold his friends lives over him like they meant nothing.

The genius gave a short snort to himself as he thought more about the situation.

This guy either had no idea what he was doing, messing with federal agents, or he did and he wasn't afraid to mock the feds. There was something, though, that made the entire ordeal not seem right. Whoever this was had always used the caller ID block, but now he was going to let Reid see his face and do the deal in a public place? Kidnappers that let their victims see them were the ones the police say 'they weren't going to live much longer in the first place.' This guy was too careful. It just didn't fit together.

Once again he felt the vibrate from his pocket start and it kept buzzing there until Reid took it from its place and examined the cover. 'Unknown Caller' shone from the top of the phone and flipped it open, beginning to speak. "Rei-"

"Reid, where the fuck are you?" Morgan's voice ran from the speaker and practically blew the genius's eardrum out. So they had used all the measures they could to contact him, Reid told himself, they must really care about him. But it didn't matter because Reid was going to do this no matter what, he needed to protect his team and if the only way to do that was give himself to this guy he was going to do. Even if he came face to face with the devil.

As he was about to speak, the phone was slipped from his hand and the autodidact turned his head, watching the man that had taken his phone about to speak into the microphone. He held a finger to his lips and mouthed 'don't speak' before Reid realized what was going on. "He's with me," the man said, and then it all came together.

This was the caller; Reid could tell by his voice. Something got caught in the back of his throat as he tried to speak, so the only thing that came out was a hoarse and muttered 'you.'

He wanted to run or scream or something but he knew that wasn't one of his choices anymore. He had given himself to the man to save his team and there was nothing he could do to help himself anymore. It was like the fire in the man's eyes was holding him there. His jaw quavered slightly, which caused the caller to give him a quick smirk.

"I'm sorry, Agent Morgan, but this is a bad time. You and Doctor Reid can catch up later; the two of us have some things to talk about." Reid flinched when the man clicked his phone shut the reopened it only to tear the top from the base of the phone. "Now, Spencer, come with me."

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><p>Morgan stared at the phone for a long moment before he turned to anyone else on the team. He met Hotch's eyes first, who was staring directly at him. "Does this have to do with what you're keeping from the rest of us?" When Hotch didn't answer, Morgan's attitude just went downhill. "What the hell does that man want? And how the hell does he know Reid? How long have you been keeping any of this from us?"<p>

Gideon spoke this time, making sure he worded everything the right way. "This guy, he's been calling Reid since were in New Mexico. He's the reason Reid randomly told all of us his life story. I found out something was up on our flight home and Hotch guessed around a day later. And for what he wants," Gideon started, choosing his words wisely, "we're not too sure. We only know it concerns Reid."

"…And this is connected with the pictures?"

Gideon nodded and Morgan's fist connected with the table, shaking the contents and making JJ remove her hands from the tabletop.

Hotch glanced over at the blonde, anguish and anger in his eyes. "JJ, go get Prentiss and Garcia. Tell them we need to talk to them as soon as possible. In here. I don't want to have to talk to them through the computer monitor.

The liaison nodded and pulled the door to her and then silently escaped from the tension that was building in the room.

Morgan hissed under his breath, not looking at either Gideon or Hotch. "You knew Reid would go to him, and yet you do nothing to stop him…"

The younger agent rose from his chair, and right as Gideon was going to try and stop him, Morgan turned with hate pouring out of his eyes. "Don't talk to me. Right now, I just want a moment alone."

And to this Gideon bit his tongue and lower his gaze, flinching as Morgan slammed the door as he exited the room enraged.

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><p>"Here."<p>

Reid glanced forward as the man in front of him paused, handing something to him. He made connecting contact with the item in his hands: a pair of handcuffs. He bit his lip, unsure of what the man wanted him to do. He tore his eyes from the metal to the man's own, which were ablaze like the coals of the netherworld.

"Do you not understand?" When Reid did nothing, the man sighed and decided that it would better if he just did it himself. He clicked the handcuffs around both of Reid's wrists and made sure they were fastened securely behind him. After doing that, he pointed towards the backseat of the car they were standing in front of. "Get in the back. We'll be stopping shortly."

Reid did as he was told, knowing they would be stopping to switch cars. This guy was thoroughly prepared, since he was already switching cars and no one had any idea who he was in the first place. The man leaned over the genius and fastened his seat belt around him and shut the door when he was done as Reid began to take in all the information he could about the car. It was a silver Toyota Corolla, either 2003 or 2004, he couldn't tell. The seats were polyester and the fan in front was blowing right on him.

As he finished up taking in all the features on the vehicle, the man got in the front seat and started the ignition then clicked his seatbelt in place. The genius wanted to talk, to say something, but he couldn't find the right words and he didn't know what could happen if he said something wrong. He knew there were the 'consequences' that he was talking about on the phone, but he didn't know what else was entitled in minor or major screw ups.

"Something wrong, Spencer," the man said, glancing in the review mirror hanging over the gear switch. Spencer met his eyes and lightly shook his head, not knowing if the man wanted a motion or a vocalization, but he shook his head either way. Better to be safe not sorry.

The man sighed. "You're a lot quieter than I imagined you would be. I guess it makes sense, you're out of your comfort zone.

Reid met his eyes again. "I don't know what you want me to do, or say none the less, so I thought it would be best to be silent."

The man's gaze left the mirror and Reid's did as well, simply looking forward through the front windshield. "Tell me, Doctor Reid, what have you gathered about me so far."

Spencer started to say something but bit his tongue instead. He didn't want to make the guy lash out or anything, so what was he supposed to say?

"Don't worry. Whatever you say will not affect what happens between the two of us. I swear. I promise you, I never break a sworn vow; I also never break a promise." He cleared his throat but continued before Reid started to profile him. "I just want the truth. So tell me, what do you know about me?"

Reid gnawed on his bottom lip for a moment before saying anything. He knew exactly what he knew, but what did that mean for his future? Was this guy really telling the truth? Normally, the smart psychopaths were the ones who were always blunt and honest, because it didn't matter, the victim was going to die anyway.

For some reason Spencer found no comfort in that.

He cleared his throat anyway, ready to give the profile. "You're smart, almost too smart, and you're carefully, almost to the fact that you're being overly cautious. Either I'm the first person you've done this to and you've spent your life fantasying about the moment you could do this or I'm close to last on your victim list and you have all the experience in the world because you've done it so many times. You're in fact a narcissistic, but like other people who have done similar things that you're doing now, you're mostly likely a masochist and enjoy relishing in your own physical and emotional pain. Doing so makes you feel human, because deep down inside you know you're a monster and sometimes that feeling because overwhelming and you lash out on someone else. You don't have an outlet to let your frustration out anymore or you just feel like advancing, so you moved on to people and you find more comfort in hurting them than yourself because deep down inside you are hurting yourself, you know it's taking away the little humanity you have left. But you like feeling like a monster because you know that's what you are and always will be. You probably tortured animals when you were a kid and from that you made sure that you would be able to feel that pleasure whenever you wanted to, and that, in the long run, why you hurt people. Because you want them to feel the pain you're immune to."

The car was silent for a moment and the in the mirror the autodidact saw the man cock a smile. "You're good, Doctor Reid. I'm impressed."

The genius thinly blushed and wanted to thank the man for the compliment, but that was weird and might affect the situation in a negative way. Besides, the car was pulling towards the side of the road and he was beginning to get a little tense. They were in the middle of nowhere now, so it's not like he could scream for help. The place they were stopping didn't have another car so they could switch, so Spencer was a little confused on their reason for stopping. When the car stopped, the man grabbed something from the foot of the passenger seat that Reid wasn't able to see, removed himself from the car, and slid in the back with Spencer as the genius realized it was a plastic bag. Like, a really big Ziploc.

Then he got nervous.

"Please, you don't have to do that. I'm not going to do anything." His voice wavered softly, full of delicate horror that came from the heart. He needed to be conscious to know what was going on. Something could happen if he was knocked out.

The man cocked another grin. "It's your choice, Doctor Reid, I can use the bag or I can shoot you up with dilaudid."

Spencer's throat tightened and he silently gave up, but made sure his actions weren't like that. He wanted this guy to think he was strong, even in the worst situation, needed to make him believe that there was no way he could break him.

The man shrugged and rose the bag around the genius's head and wrapped it around his neck. After a while, Reid began to feel light headed and then it got worse. He couldn't breathe and he knew that if he struggled he would be out of it faster, so he kept his eyes on the man as he continued cocking his grin until the oxygen ran out and he was forced to embrace the darkness.

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><p><strong>EN: I think that was pretty good. :3 If anyone was OOC, I'm sorry. I think Morgan was a little, but I can't tell if he is or not. :/**

**Anyway, please let me know what you think!**

**R/R!**


	11. Odd Arrangement

**I am so sorry it's been such a long time since I've written. Over a week, I believe. :/ I think I'm gonna try and get back on track with writing, but considering my dad is the one with the computer and school just started, it'll be a little hard for a while. I'm sorry if that's going to be an issue for anyone, but right now I can't change it. Anyway…**

**This is chapter eleven. **

**I hope you enjoy.**

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><p>A groan erupted from the back of Reid's throat as he struggled to pull himself up, even to a sitting position. He got to the point that his elbows were propped the right way but that's where he pretty much stopped. His glassy chocolate brown eyes met the belt that was holding him down, making the young man let out a sigh. He didn't know where he was, but his guess was as best as the next guy's. He suspected that he was somewhere within his captor's quarters, but that was too vague for him. He needed to find something in this room that stood out.<p>

Too bad it was on the verge of being pitch black.

The genius let a curse out by the slip of his tongue, trying to resist the belt that was restraining him to get a better view of the place he was in. He guessed it was a basement, and that was probably the closest he could of got at not being able to see anything. It was natural darkness, though. There were any blinds anywhere or little creaks of light trying to creep in. It was pitch black because it was meant to be pitch black.

Maybe it was night and he was in a basement. That made sense, didn't it? It could be probable. Was it likely though? That was something he would have to figure out as soon as possible, considering he didn't want to be this guy's prisoner for longer than he had to.

A slow screech of the bottom of the door rubbing against the floor sent Reid's mind into a frenzy. What did this guy want from him? To talk? Something… more?

The sound of the patting feet on the floor was beginning to overwhelm him. Did this guy just want to scare him? Because he was pretty freaked out right now.

"Hello, Spencer," he said, cloaked in darkness. Reid squinted his eyes as if he was trying to get a better look but the black was seeping through everything as the feet finally landed on the floor at a sudden stop.

The genius coughed as he tried to clear his throat. "Where am I?"

Reid heard a small tick as if something clicked against something else but before he could answer the lights flashed on, revealing a man that looked to be only in his early thirties, maybe younger. He had that wise aura to him, though, so that was a little different. Most of the time unsubs just had the aroma of I'm-a-weirdo-and-want-to-kill-something. This was different and on a whole other level.

"Not too far away from home," the man said, giving Reid a fair glance at his face. The man was white, had reddish brown hair that sort of tucked away to the back of his head, and pale blue eyes that could pierce someone if they needed to. It was like Reid was staring at the Irish version of himself. Okay, so maybe not the exact same except Irish, but the man had the same face as him except for the hair and eyes. His frame was a little more bucked, but that was because Reid was a coffee-addicted autodidact. Then again, this guy could be, too… It's not like the genius knew anything about him.

He tried to sit up again and to the same avail. The man took a step closer, causing the belted one to pause all motion and look up at him. "What do you want from me?"

Then Reid began to panic.

A slow and eerie smirk creeped onto the lips of this new unsub, giving Reid a reason to scream. The man stepped closer again, pushing Spencer's chest down so that he was flat against the table, and pulled the belt tighter around the man's lower chest. After he was finished, Reid's breath was getting to the point that it wasn't stable anymore. He had to breathe out both his nose and mouth at this point, but it was the only way he could get the oxygen to flow. He saw the man grab another belt that matched the other as he walked back over to the pinned down genius, attaching it to both sides of the operation table that Reid was laying upon and fastened in about three inches below his neck, giving it another tight tug, making sure it was snug.

Spencer could almost find himself throwing up.

As Reid's eyes widened in curious horror and wonder, the man leaned over and gave him a simple grin.

"I want to break you."

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><p><strong>Sorry it's so short. DX But it's better than nothing, right? I hope to have the next update done sometime this week, but I can't promise you anything on the length. Thanks for reading!<strong>

**Please review!**


	12. Distant Memory

**Hello all. I'm very sorry that posting an additional chapter has taken so long. I deeply apologize. I kept telling myself, "Jenna, write, dammit," but I've been so busy and tense lately even thinking of picking up a pen or opening Word has been out of the question.**

**But that's something you probably don't care about since you're here to read, not to hear about why I haven't posted.**

**Anyway, this is chapter twelve. I hope to get back on schedule soon.**

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><p>Morgan sat at his desk, which was surrounded by half-finished paperwork and endless amounts of papers to be filled, and tapped away hard and drum-like against the desk with the pen in hand. Nothing about this was making it better, his tenseness, anyway. He had been like this for the past three hours.<p>

The past three hours.

It nerved him to even think that Reid had only been gone for that short period of time and here he was, sitting in the bullpen and striking the wood with a writing utensil. Was that all he was good for? Sitting around? It killed him to think that while the younger agent was out there, being held captive by some weird type of maniac, and he was here not doing a damn thing about it.

He didn't want to go back though. He couldn't face either Hotch or Gideon at this point in time; he had already walked out of the room, his fist clenched, and practically yelling at the other agents, furious that they let his friend out of sight. But what did he do? He wasn't watching Reid, no one was. The kid just got up and left and no one noticed anything until it was too late.

Morgan's jaw tightened and he focused his eyes back towards the center of the mayhem that was his desk. He needed something, anything to help get Reid back as soon as possible. The guy would have to start leaving clues at some point, or maybe he was planning to keep Reid until the kid broke.

The agent shook his head furiously. He couldn't think like that. Reid was going to come back from whatever this was alive, even if it was the last thing Morgan had to do.

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><p>Groggily, Spencer tried to sit up. He was kept pinned to the table by the leather belts that the unsub had used earlier. This wasn't good. But then again, out of everything he got himself into, what was?<p>

He found it a little hard to recall why he was sleeping in the first place. It hadn't been long since he met the unsub at the station, was it? He wasn't awake for most of it, but there's no way it could have been a day or anything like that, none the less hours.

But he had to think logically now. It was possible that he had been here for hours or at least with this man for that amount of time. It probably took a half an hour to forty-five minutes in the car on the way here, but Reid was knocked out so that was just a guess. They 'played' a little before he passed out the second time, and-

Wait.

He stopped himself, thinking back to what he was just telling himself. They 'played?' What did that mean? He remembered everything from the color of his socks last Christmas to yesterday's breakfast and he couldn't think of what he was telling his own self? Something seriously must be wrong with him.

He laid there, trying to think what the hell he _was_ thinking, hoping to get something out of it, even if it wasn't much.

Then reality hit him like a sack of bricks.

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><p>"<em>I want to break you."<em>

_A snarl with the same hint of a smirk was still on the man's lips and it was hard to concentrate on anything else. Spencer probably could have said he was sweating through the palms, because he was and they were drenched, but he kept his mouth shut and his lips pierced together. He didn't want to say anything that this guy could or would find as a bigger stressor than he worked with. This wasn't just another unsub to Reid. This was the guy, that special guy who knew exactly what he was doing and how he was going to do it, who was going to know, and who was going to find the body. In this case, he only hoped that it wasn't his body people were finding._

_The man leaned back, pulling away from the young genius and moving towards a wall on the opposite wall, searching for _something_. It was natural that unsubs had everything ready ahead of time, but this guy seemed more laid back that some of the other psychopaths that the team had dealt with. _

_But it's not like that freaked Reid out any less. If anything, it was freakier. It meant that this guy knew what he was doing and because of that he must've been calmer in the situation. _

'_He must have done this before,' Reid thought. His eyes were gazing around, trying to watch the unsub who was behind the scenes._

"_Dr. Reid," the man said, his voice creating an echo throughout the room. "I'd like you to finish your profile for me. I'd like to know exactly what you think."_

_Spencer tried to see him but it was hard tearing your head when you knew you could only see on direction and that was up. He needed to know what the man was doing because what he was doing would affect what Reid would say in the end. _

_From behind the shroud blackness walked out Spencer's captor, watching him intently like a bird watching a worm. Like the genius was his prey. Then again, if he wasn't prey, what was he?_

_The man gave another heart wrenching grin. "Come on, Doctor, tell me." The last two words were sharp and Spencer knew instantly that he better get talking unless he wanted to die._

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><p><strong>It's short, I'm sorry. I figured something was better than the nothing I keep giving you but I promise they will get back to the average 2,000 words per chapter before you know it. Well, before <strong>_**I **_**know it. I just hope I can stay on task with this.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**Please review?**


	13. Suppression

**I have a busy night planned tonight (Tuesday) but I think I might be able to get a reasonable sized chapter done. I hope to anyway. I need to make up for lost time. Anyway, thanks so much for reading and alerting and favoriting and reviewing! It all means so much (especially the reviews ;))**

**I don't want this to drag out too long though, so we'll begin shortly.**

**Disclaimer: I, in no way shape or form, own Criminal Minds, which belongs to his respectful owners. I just adore the series… a lot. **

**Thank you.**

**And for your information, this chapter might be a little more graphic than those in the past. Just a forewarning. **

**Here's chapter thirteen.**

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><p>As Spencer's thoughts started to come back to him, he still felt himself having trouble recalling everything. This was not right, it wasn't normal for him to have problems remembering things. Something must be wrong with him. Maybe it was something different all together. He wondered if he could consider this amnesia. It was retrograde, no doubt, but that was only if he had it at all.<p>

He thought more thoroughly on amnesia then, hoping to find something in his thoughts that would help him. It can occur from anatomical damage to the brain and sometimes might lack a neurobiological basis. There's also post-traumatic amnesia, but Spencer didn't think that was it. What could have happened in the past hours that his brain would block off? He didn't suffer from Korsakoff syndrome so it most likely wasn't some type of nutritional deficiency.

There was also amnesia caused by hypnotic inductions, but could this guy really be so 'powerful' that he made the genius forget what happened? Reid doubted it.

Then there was also the electric shock therapy, more specifically known as Electroconvulsive therapy, but this dark room didn't seem like the place that anything like that could happen in. Then again, in small towns you'd never expect the preacher's son to be a homicidal maniac but sociopaths come in all shapes and sizes. They were mostly just white men.

His thoughts were halted by a small hitch that created a squeak that erupted from somewhere Reid wasn't able to see at the time being. He heard, though, footsteps getting closer and lower and he found himself thinking, 'I was right; I am in a basement.'

A light clicked on in the corner of the room and Reid found the brightness piercing to his dilated eyes. The light bulb was hanging from the ceiling by a thin rope or some sort of string that Reid couldn't make out and the man was standing over a table which the genius could only vaguely make out the contents on the bottom shelf. Latex gloves, blue Dial dish washing soap, and the last thing that really caught his eyes: needles. But it wasn't the needle itself that drew the attention to it, it was drug that Reid knew it was full of that made his heart skip a few beats, nonetheless drop. Dilaudid.

"How are you feeling, Spencer?" It made the autodidact sick every time this guy called him by his first name. Like they were close or something and his subconscious was saying he wanted nothing to do with him. This was more than just the regular creepy unsub that Reid wanted to get away from; there was something else about this guy that he just couldn't place. It must have something to do with what he couldn't remember.

His voice was caught in the back of his throat along with the rest of his air supply but he made the words come out, even if he knew they would arrive as a frightened and muttered whisper. "I'm sore," he admitted, then widened his eyes. Why was he sore anyway? What had they done that he wasn't permitted to remember?

The man let out a chuckle. "I see. That would make sense."

Reid heard a small _ping _echo from the area that the unsub was at and to him it sounded something like a piece of metal hitting another, that small echoing tick made his skin crawl as if he knew it wasn't good. His body and subconscious did even if he couldn't remember why. He was on high alert.

He didn't say anything, though, because he still didn't know what made this guy tick.

"Why so quiet, Spencer? From what I've heard, you're quite the talkative kid. And here we are and you're as silent as the death in this room."

He said nothing. He couldn't; he wasn't able to form the words.

He thought for moments, trying to tell himself that this man was nothing more than a psychotic killer who wanted him more than anything. But that didn't help at all. And before Reid realized what was going on, the braces holding his feet to the table were torn off in one brisk motion and the man that he had no idea who he was was atop him and something like panic rose from his chest.

"I _want_ you to remember it this time," the man mumbled, yanking Spencer's hair into his hand and pushing the boy's head down onto the table, holding it tight so that the person under him couldn't see. "This time, I want to hear you _scream_."

Spencer's eyes were wide as the man held him there. He heard something drop to the ground, sounded like metal, and then the grip on his hair was gone and the man was practically straddling him in a position that wasn't right.

A pant leg hit his own and sooner than later Spencer knew what was going on. "Please…" he whispered, looking up to the ceiling of the basement, "don't…"

The man chuckled, getting off Reid all together for a moment, and gripping the genius's hands tightly in his own, making the pulse in Spencer's palms increase in a panic sweat, drenching the other man's hands. He unfastened the belts that were holding his hands down and then the one that was draped across his neck, pushing the boy to lie on his belly, clicking the hands back in place and the one that was going across his upper back.

He wanted to cry but he couldn't show weakness. Nothing of the sort. He would make it through this.

Spencer had no idea how many times he told himself that.

He bit his lip as his thoughts were torn away from his mind and a pain erupted inside him, each thrust getting worse. He tried to maintain himself, tried to keep calm, but wasn't able to. He snapped down on his tongue hard enough that it drew blood and then he wasn't able to hold it any longer.

The unsub got exactly what he wanted: an ear splitting scream.

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><p><strong>Yeah… I don't know. :o<strong>

**Any thoughts? I don't really know what I was thinking when I wrote this… so… yeah.**

**Please, review? I love to know what you think.**


	14. Blaze

**I'm sorry it's been so long since I've written and I want to make sure you know I will not forget about this! I love it too much to stop! I've just had a lot on my plate lately: getting drive time in so I can get my license, my dad and step-mom's divorce, and stress that comes from that damned thing called homework. Arg. **

**But I don't care about that today because I'm going to write and hopefully I don't get shot with what I want to do with this story.**

**Ah! Enough about that! I don't own or make any profits from Criminal Minds.**

**This is chapter fourteen.**

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><p>Derek Morgan's hands tensed as did his shoulder when Jason Gideon bent over, placing his hand on the younger man. Morgan glanced up; meeting Gideon's eyes, he wished there was something in them besides regret and shame. He was hoping that something could direct him on what to do, anything that could help him at all, but found nothing.<p>

"You're thinking the worst," came from Gideon's mouth as Morgan tore his eyes from the older agent.

His stomach tightened and he bit his lip. "And you're not?"

Gideon peeled his hand back from Morgan and sighed deeply, drawing back the attention of the younger agent. "I don't know what to think. Reid-" his voice caught a little like it was weird to say the genius's name- "it seemed like he knew what he was getting into. I'm not saying it was smart of him to do this, but he's smart enough to realize when something get's bad-"

"He was being threatened, Gideon," Morgan noted, interrupting his superior. "We all know he'd, like most of us, sacrifice himself for someone on the team. He did and now what, we wait? I'm sick of waiting, we need something."

"This man wants control." Gideon's voice was firm, hard, but not without feeling. "He wants to feel like he has us feeding from the palm of his hand. He'll try to get, or will get, in contact with us at some point." He looked up and away from the younger agent. "He'll want us a bargain something to get him back. He wants power."

Morgan's jaw clenched. "I don't give a damn what he wants," he said, glancing away momentarily and then stood from his desk. "I'm sorry, Gideon, I need a moment."

Gideon's eyes moved with Morgan as the younger agent strode from the room, looking as if he was outraged but Jason himself knew better. He knew it was because the latter was on the verge of tears.

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><p>Reid panted fiercely, the breath in his mouth coming out jagged and hard. The unsub was no longer atop him and that was a good thing, but was now playing with a blowtorch two feet from his right side and even though his head was held tight by metals and some sort of leather belt, he could still see the sparks flying from the device.<p>

He was trying to remain calm but once again this unnamed man lowered the flame to the back of his foot, letting the fire dance at the bottom of his feet. He took a deep and unnerving breath, choking back any signs that he was in pain. Tears pricked at the corners of his eyes but he made no attempt to let them fall.

His feet and hands were bound to the iron table that he was on top of the same way his head way so there was no way to move. The leather was also tight around his waist and knees, keeping him plastered down.

The man lowered the flame and moved towards the other side of the room where Reid couldn't see him any longer. The agony from the burns on his feet were making him want to resort to nausea and vomit, but he held it back and watched the man approach again.

He came back with a polyester shirt and Reid directed himself to the genius part of him and started thinking about everything he knew about polyester: it was used in the making of canoes, holograms, and filters. They coated polyester onto guitars, pianos, and the interior of yachts and some sport boats. Cured polyester can be sanded and polished. Aromatic, semi-Aromatic, and Aliphatic are the three different compositions of the main chain in polyester.

Then it hit him.

Polyester was immensely flammable.

The breath again hitched in the back of his throat and he swallowed down hard hoping to flush away the instability that was erupting throughout him. He clenched his hands together and glanced up finding the unsub looking down at him.

The shirt was draped over his lower chest and only his lower chest and the man kneed to the ground as he tightened the shirt around the bottom of the table. When he rose again, he was watching the autodidact.

"Please," came Reid's almost whimpered plea as the unsub moved slightly away from him as he was reaching for the blowtorch once again. The carbon dioxide that drifted trembling through his lips had shaken his entire body as it fumbled out of him.

The unsub smiled.

"Don't fight fire with fire, Spencer," he said, backing away so that he was out of Reid's view once again.

The doctor's lip shook and terror filled him then. He felt and saw his life passing before his eyes as the flames exploding around him and he told himself not to give in to the pain, which this man's satisfaction was not worth it.

He knew he would not die yet. This wasn't over. And knowing that this man would do what he pleased again and again, to him it seemed worse than death.

His body caved into the pain and the scream that blew from his mouth only made it that much harder to breathe.

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><p><strong>Well, I don't really know where that came from…<strong>

**If you have any thoughts, please let me know! I love them! :) Thanks for reading!**


	15. Passivity

**I find it funny but right now, I'm sitting down to write Refrain while listening to 'Right In Two.' xD Totally random…**

**I'm sorry that the shortness disappointed some and I'm going to be working this three day weekend to my advantage and try to get as much writing done that I can. I hope that floats some of your boats. As for the rating of this story… I'm going to change this from Teen to Mature and hope that's understandable. Last chapter was only the tip of the iceberg for me. **

**The real fun starts soon.**

**Anyway, this is chapter fifteen and I hope you enjoy!**

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><p>After a while, the fire that danced at his stomach wasn't what was causing Reid pain anymore. Now it was the smoke that he was being forced to breathe in, it was the smoke that was making that task particularly hard. His mouth had been shut so long that his lungs were at the tightest capacity, forcing him to expand them to the fullest and draw in the most smoke so far. He gasped on the air hard as if he was dying, which it felt like he was.<p>

He wasn't making any noise at this point as the ashes and smoldering air were filling his lungs.

The UnSub noticed this and wasn't about to let his prey die on him that easily. He turned off the blowtorch and set it on a matching table to the one that Spencer was on, walking over to the Northern side of the room and flipped a switch along the wall that sent a sprinkler on above the young genius.

The cold rush of liquid hit him hard as it pounded down onto him. His eyes were shut by will alone and he didn't want to see his burnt-to-a-crisp body, so he kept them like that as he felt the shirt being drug off of him.

He needed to get out of here as soon as possible. This guy was the opposite of stable and in this sense, he wasn't even sane as the most unstable of people. He was up and beyond anything that Reid had ever dealt with and that was something considering all the weird UnSubs they've come across.

He thought of Tobias Hankel, his nemesis. This was nothing compared to that at all. Sure, he was in somewhat of the same situation: practically kidnapped and now being held hostage, but Tobias was suffering from multiple personality disorder and didn't know what he was doing while this guy, whoever he was, was doing this out of the need to suppress his boredom for a little while longer. It disgusted the young genius that someone as smart and capable as him had turned to being a serial killer. It scared him, too, knowing he could have ended up like that.

"Spencer." His name drew him out him out of his thoughtful trance and he continued to shut his eyes, and he coughed in response. "I see you're still alive." Spencer could hear the smile in his voice. But after he coughed the first time it was getting harder and harder for him to stop and he couldn't control his lungs. His heart throbbed from the bottom of his chest and he was having a hard time maintaining a normal intake of oxygen. Panic started and he had no idea why but it seemed like it was attacking him at his core. The anxiety was building and he felt something caress his face, only freaking him out of little more. His eyes slowly flitted open and he slowly made out the tips of three fingers. The UnSub's hand was gliding along his smooth and still full of childish features face, creating what felt to be acid to touch. He craned his neck away, his eyes widened now so that he could see. The room was colder than it had been; then again, he _was _on fire. The water was still, lightly now, raining upon him and he watched the shower of droplets dance down his captor's face after the initial impact. His bottom lip quavered as he tried to pull the words from his mind.

"Please…" he mumbled, practically whimpering."Stop this; I'll do what you want. Just… just stop. Please."

The hand was tore back from his face and the expression on the UnSub's face had hardened, which ultimately frightened Reid.

"What do you want me to stop, Spencer?"

Even if he wanted to shout back and yell at this freak, telling him that he was some messed up sociopath that he could put behind bars, he didn't; he knew it was a rhetorical question and that the UnSub only wanted him to shut up. He laid there in silence, his eyes focused on his captor's and the latter's back onto him. It was freaky the way the UnSub's orbs could pierce him so coldly, so much that it felt like he could have melted under their gaze. He hated the feeling of being weak, and being tied to this metal counter by leather belts wasn't helping that in the slightest.

The UnSub's upper lip curled towards the side and his expression changed into one of a sadist. "That's what I thought."

He stepped away, humming a tune that was only normal to him and Reid himself couldn't place its origin. He stayed away for a couple more moments, and then moved back towards his captive, giving the young genius a look that made the latter want to nauseate. "Spencer, I have an idea. You and I, we're used to playing games. I've decided that's what we'll do from now on. If I get to do anything to you of my choosing, I'll tell you something about myself that will help you and you're team. After you get three things, I'll let you contact them, though the phone call will be on speaker and only three minutes long. If they can't find you in three days, we'll start playing again, going to three again and again until you're team can find you." He gave the genius a satisfactory smile only with a sly wink. "How does that sound?"

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><p>Agent Hotchner was standing next to one technical analysis by the name of Penelope Garcia, trying to find something else that could connect these pictures and their missing agent to some unnamed man that they knew had their genius. Aaron was tapping his foot impatiently and Penelope turned towards his shoe which hit the floor with a thump. "Sir, it's getting harder to concentrate with you breathing down my back. I know you're worried, we all are, but getting antsy about it isn't going to help anything."<p>

Hotch pulled back, lowering his eyes to the screen that was halfway blocked by Garcia's head. "I know, just work as hard as you can and try and find something. Maybe he got careless and did something in the past that wasn't to his liking. Anything, just find something."

"I'm trying," Penelope muttered, looking back towards the screen after swiveling her chair back around to face her workplace. Her fingers hit the computer keys each time with their own force and procession and she was intent on finding something as soon as she could. She wanted her baby home.

Aaron nodded and kept the same grim face as he exited the room, giving his tech some time to figure things out. He wasn't helping her by watching her; he needed to do something else. And hopefully that something could be of use.

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><p>Spencer's face changed to one of worry, but what else could he do? He'd have to accept the offer if he wanted any chance of getting this guy. He didn't even know anything about this guy, let alone what the team knew. This was his only chance and he wasn't about to pass it up. "I accept," he said, the last syllable breaking off a little as his voice crackled.<p>

The UnSub smiled slightly. "Good. Then this won't be too hard."

Spencer cringed at the words and watched until the UnSub was out of his peripheral vision. He heard something that sounded like water droplets hitting the bottom of a sink, but wasn't, and then the UnSub was approaching on arrival.

"Spencer, you do know what ketamine is, don't you?"

The word practically froze him. Of course he knew what ketamine was. One of the most common date rape drugs out there, giving the victim slurred speech, disorientation, an out of body experience, a temporary high, sedation, nausea, and numbness. It scared him, knowing that something was going to happen and it was going to be like he was under. He hated it but knew that that was going to be the only way it was going to be and that was the end of it. He took a deep breath that rippled through his chest, nodding so that he wouldn't push the UnSub more than he wanted to be pushed.

"Good," he said, he as in the UnSub, moving towards Reid with a needle that reminded him of his days with dilaudid.

He shut his eyes tightly as he felt a small prick in his shoulder, wincing slightly from the instant pain felt. He decided to think of other things, but his mind continued to come back to ketamine. He knew that the drug was almost always a solid powder, so there'd have to be something else inside the needle besides it. He didn't even want to get on the topic of what that could be.

His vision started to go after a while and he felt the world around him growing hazy. There was still that little light over the back of the room that glowed in his eyes telling him that his eyes were still open and he was alive.

He felt the UnSub's breath hit his neck as he saw the blurry outline of the man reaching towards him. "Just to let you know, it wasn't only ketamine I gave you."

_I know that, _Spencer thought to himself, _I just want to know what else was in the needle. What did you mix the ketamine with?_

"I…" He tried to talk but after the first attempt his tongue felt like rubber and it was almost impossible to move his mouth from there on out.

"You want me to tell you, don't you?" Spencer could feel the temptation in the UnSub's and he fluttered his eye lids twice, not remembering them falling down and nodded his rapidly because at the moment that was his own form of communication.

His captor grew a smile that could be heard from Reid and moved down closer to him. "Welcome back to the realm of addiction, Dr. Reid."

Spencer's chest heaved and his throat closed a little at the revelation. This was not good, not good at all. His vision was tore from him then, and even though his eyes were still open, he couldn't see anything. His back arched upward, creating a bridge throughout his body. He let out a whimpered breath, knowing that sooner than later his body would cave to the drug known as dilaudid.

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><p><strong>Well then. I think something's wrong with me. :o<strong>

**Well, I don't care. I find writing this to be fun and I hope you enjoy reading it, even if you get a little mad about my plot sometimes… Don't worry! Everything will be okay! Or… the closest to okay it can get…**

**Oh! And I also want to thank Fuzzball457 for beta-ing this chapter and the chapters to come! It means a lot!  
><strong>

**But whatever! Please review!**

**Thanks for reading!**


	16. Prime

**Well, hello there! This is once again me and I'm glad you've tuned in for another chapter. I'm also aware that some people don't even read the author's notes because from time to time I completely skip them, but I have some news: **

**a) I'm changing the three day thing to a three hour thing because he's not going to be with this psycho that long… I got the idea from a reviewer (CMSP) **

**b)the entire month of November will be dedicated to finishing this story and where I'm going with this it should end sometime either towards the middle or the end of the month. The reason for this is NaNoWriMo, or National Novel Writing Month. I get extra credit if I break 50,000 words in the month and my goal right now is 17,914 words. I'm not sure if I'll beat the 50,000 mark, but I'm going to try. I will, though, continue to try and get back on my regular writing schedule for this and this should be posted sometime on Monday the 10th of October (I'm starting it Sunday). Thank you for your time.**

**This is chapter sixteen.**

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><p>Morgan sat on a bench outside the main doors to the bureau, holding his head in his hands and thinking as clearly as he could about the entire situation. Reid was kidnapped by some freak that's been contacting him for a while now and they had no idea who this guy was. They knew nothing. Nada. Zip. He sighed and hunched his shoulders over a little more and opened his red-stained eye and started to trace the lines on the linoleum flooring. A shadow crossed the floor and he internally debated whether or not he should look up.<p>

He told himself it was Gideon and he didn't want to be bothered, so he kept his head down and ignored the darkened section of the floor.

When the man standing next to him spoke he knew he wasn't dealing with Gideon so he looked up and glanced into the backs backs? of Aaron Hotchner's eyes with a questioning glare. "Did Gideon send you after me?"

Hotch frowned deeper than he already was and sat himself down on the bench next to Morgan. He kept his eyes forward as they talked. "No, not exactly. I was in Garcia's office when you stormed off and talked to him when I got back to the bullpen."

Morgan grumbled. "So he indirectly sent you here?" he asked, but it came out sounding more like a statement that a question.

"More or less," Hotch conquered, keeping his eyes straight. He turned his head down to Morgan who was still hunched over himself. "I'm not saying this is a good thing, but he hasn't even been missing for a day yet."

Derek snapped up, giving Hotch a glare. "He wasn't with Hankel for more than two days and look at the scars that left him with."

Hotch knew he hit a nerve with that and waited until Morgan looked back away before he continued. "I know, Morgan. We still have time to find him."

"Maybe he's already dead," Morgan mumbled, his thoughts setting on the worst, as Hotch was getting back up from his seat.

His eyes grew softer, like they were finally able to show emotion. "You know that's not true," he pointed out with vindication. "You can feel it." He strode away from the agent still sitting and turned back to face him before he hit the door to go inside. "Come back in five minutes. I think we might get something soon."

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><p>In the pit of his stomach, there was a low rumble erupting from him. Spencer was shaking on an actual bed now, the thin mattress beneath him not giving much shelter from the hard metal bars underneath. He was completely naked under the thinnest of blankets this unnamed man had thrown at him. Whoever he was, he wasn't down there anymore and the little light that hung by a string had been switched off a while back. He was shackled down to the metal core by his ankles and his hands were connected by handcuffs by a longer than normal chain. Not a chain he could get out of or anything, but one that made being alive a little easier. He noticed around a minute ago, shortly after he woke up, that the bed was welded towards the floor, so using Newton's law of Force wasn't going to get him anywhere.<p>

His vision was still a little dizzy but that was probably because of the drugs that were plunged into him. He clenched his teeth, wanting to yell in frustration, but knew that he couldn't do it and most likely wasn't capable of it. If his eyes were still a little distorted, then talking might be a problem as well.

Spencer couldn't remember anything after he figured out it was dilaudid that the UnSub had pushed into him. He oddly recalled being pushed onto the bed but even that was blurry. He fought himself to remember but the drugs got the best of him and the only thing he could remember was already a memory of his own, own that hadn't been created here.

It was one of his first cases that he ever worked on. The team was made up only Hotch, Gideon, Morgan, and him back then. No chicks whatsoever. They met JJ around a half a year later and Prentiss came right after Elle resigned. Garcia, who he thought was Gomez, arrived shortly after JJ.

It was the sixth of September and they were in North Carolina for a massive shooting located in a newly renovated mall. If he recalled correctly, which he always did, there were twenty-seven shooters spread out throughout the building and they all together killed over two hundred people that day. A week later, two days after they arrived, they were going to attack other mall for the same motive: revenge. Reid never figured out what happened in their lives that made them hate malls so much, but he worked his hardest to make sure there weren't any more casualties.

For some reason, they got a heads up on the ordeal and headed to the mall they were planning on going to and Reid was with Morgan and a group of SWAT agents that they were using for reinforcements. Hotch and Gideon had decided to clear the second floor and the other two were assigned to the ground level.

They each took some of the SWAT guys and parted ways, one looking to the right stores and the other to the left. Spencer peeked into a small photography studio and the end of his first hall and saw that the room was almost fully evacuated except for two small children, one boy and one girl, that were being held in the back. The shooter had the gun to the little girl's head. Reid told him to lower his weapon and he did. Into the boy's chest.

He was told by the doctors that he didn't suffer anything and that the girl was all right but he still found himself being drawn back to that day.

After a few minutes of thinking about it, he cleared his mind of the event and put his thoughts towards the present and worked his mind to try and find a way from this place. He needed something that would help him, even if it was something small, he just needed something.

His thoughts again changed as he heard echoing footsteps build up the tension throughout his body as they neared. When the UnSub stepped down onto the concrete flooring, Spencer saw something sparkle in the man's eyes, which ultimately raised his terror level.

He neared Reid, the distance getting shorter and shorter, and finally stepped in front of the bed where the young doctor had pushed himself up against the wall, shaking uncontrollably. He cocked a grin and tilted his head to the side. "Time to play."

The anxiety already flooding through Reid was steadily building and he found it hard to keep his composure. His bottom lip was trembling under the other and his fingers were practically vibrating as he held his hands around his torture. He didn't move.

The UnSub sighed, rolled his eyes, and moved towards the right side of the bed. Reid's eyes followed him warily and he flinched when the man places his hand on the genius's shoulder. "Relax, Doctor, not yet. We have to get there first."

The slowly building fretfulness was becoming overwhelming and after a moment of struggling to get up from the bed, a blindfold that turned everything and anything black was placed over his highly dilated orbs.

After reaching the top of the stairs, he didn't see or hear any changes but the temperature sure was different. The basement was freezing so this felt like utopia. That is, until everything around him went arctic and he was shaking more from the coldness than his fear. He was seated down on something that's icy surface hit the caliber of the frozen room. The blindfold was torn from his dark eyes and he saw that he was in a freezer and the UnSub was standing in better light than the basement had, making it easier to make out features about him.

The man turned his back on him and threw a glance over his shoulder before he shut and locked the door. "My name is Jason."

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><p><strong>And now we know his name! He's not Gideon, FYI. I just really like that name. Really, really, really, really, like that name. <strong>

**Oh, and thanks again to Fuzzball457 for beta-ing this chapter! :D  
><strong>

**Review please? :)**


	17. Intermission

**Okay! I'm so happy for all the reviews and alters and favorites! It means so much! :D**

**Sorry if Aaron was a little OOC last chapter…**

**Anyway, this is chapter seventeen! :D**

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><p>Spencer fidgeted in the icebox and continued to tug at the cuffs that were around his wrists and the ones at his ankles. The door had just shut moments before and he was already chilled to the bone. What was the temperature in here anyway? Negative seven hundred? He sighed and after fussing with his restraints he pulled his legs to his chest and huddled there, trying to keep warm even in the coldest of places.<p>

He glanced around the room, slightly wincing as the bright light from the ceiling pierced his vision.

Instead of focusing on the cold, he decided to think about the UnSub. Okay, he was obsessed with the number three, which could mean he suffered from extreme OCD. If there were three things… then it would probably take three hours for each of them, right? And that only left him with the thought that he was going to be in the freezer for an hour. He sighed, the breath coming from his mouth jagged with coldness and terror.

It was easier to maintain his control when he was away from this Jason fellow. Jason… He had the guy's first name figured out, now he just needed two more facts before he'd be able to call the team. He shivered his bare skin in the depths of the freezer, rocking his body back and forth, telling himself these were going to be the longest three hours of his life.

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><p>Derek Morgan walked in the conference room where most of his team was present. Penelope Garcia was still down in her office and Reid… well, he didn't want to think about it.<p>

Strauss walked in moments after him, a stern look on her already frozen face. Hotch and Gideon were perched on both sides of the room and Prentiss was hovering opposite the door. He moved closer to Emily, Strauss stopping right before the door, and JJ moving out from behind her towards the bulletin board where they worked out their cases. She turned towards the group, giving them all a little nod.

"So far, we know that the UnSub has been contacting Spencer for a while."

"How long exactly?" Strauss asked, earning glances from multiple agents.

"Around four days," Gideon piped in, his attention focusing over to Morgan. The younger agent looked away and veered back towards their media liaison.

JJ bit her lip and turned back towards the information they pulled together. "It's only been around eight hours since Spence's been missing and from what we know, he's only been with the UnSub for around seven." No one said anything so she moved on. "The station Reid was at when he was abducted was at the corner of Baltimore and Fisherman. Garcia's been looking through video clips and surveillance tapes to see if we can get anything from there. We have no idea what his motive may be besides something that keeps bringing him back to Reid."

"So we need to establish whatever connection there is between him and Reid," Prentiss pointed out.

"He said that he was an underrated genius; that he and Reid had many things in common, besides the fact that Reid was praised for his intelligence while he was the one that was forgotten about." All eyes turned to Gideon and Hotch's frown deepened.

"I guess we can look into other child prodigies… or something of the sort," Emily said, glancing around at the team.

Derek was listening to all of this commotion around him but while doing so he was thinking to himself about his own profile on the UnSub. His attention was broken out back to the team when Garcia began speaking over her laptop.

"Okay, I was looking into all the images that I got from the surveillance videos and actually came across something. It was eight-seventeen when Morgan called Reid, right? And then eight-eighteen when our freaking UnSub guy decided to end the call. I got Reid on camera from eight-fourteen until eight-nineteen, so it looks like he wasn't there for long before the UnSub decided to show up."

Her screen popped out and there it was, on camera, Reid in the substation, standing around waiting for something. Or in this case, someone. He pulled out his phone and shoved it back in his pocket. His eyes rolled back and he checked the phone as it rang again then flipped it open, starting to speak. This is where Morgan yelled at him, the agent could tell, because the young man on the screen looked as if he was slapped across the face. The agent winced, thinking to himself that the last person that had contact with Spencer was him and he had yelled at him.

The screen started to distort a little but was brought back to the same clarity as before a second later. A man approached him, mindlessly took the phone from his hand and began to speak. While looking at Reid's face, realization dawned on the young genius and this man glanced to him. After a second of mumbling something into the phone, he snapped it shut and then tore the top off. He pulled something out of his pocket, Derek guessed a gun, and jabbed it into the agent's rib cage. They shuffled in silence from the camera's view and the video ended, the screen going black.

After a moment of nothing, Penelope's face popped back on the screen. "That was all I got. Either every other camera was out or they don't have any more in that location. I'm sorry."

Hotch nodded, still watching his technical analysis. "Thank you, Garcia. See if you can find anything in the video that can help us and we'll look into some more things."

"Yes sir," she said, her screen clicking black and the monitor turning off.

Derek sighed in frustration. Right when he thought he was going to get something good, something goes wrong or he's just too angry to appreciate it. Garcia was doing her job and it wasn't her fault, but he wished there was something more than just that. The entire video was focused on Reid. If you were watching it, you would only see the back of the UnSub's head.

* * *

><p>After a while, Spencer's heart bounced when he heard the distant creak of a door. He glanced up, moving his head now a little difficult, and tried to look up at the disturbance. It was Jason, who was most likely here to retrieve him.<p>

"Get up," the man barked, his eyes low on Spencer as his face grew tense.

The genius frowned, shivering up and down as he tried to remove himself from the item he was sitting on. The blanket was practically frozen to him and it was laid across his upper thighs and lower stomach, covering the most precious part of his body. He grimaced in pain as moving off the frozen box seemed to rip his skin of his body.

Jason took a step closer, his face getting harder and fiercer by the second. "If you can't do it yourself, I'll have to do it for you."

At the statement, Spencer panicked and bit his teeth down preparing for the worst. He stood quickly, his jaw clenched down the best he could and he stifled out a scream. He didn't even spare a glance to his end, knowing that it would the warmest part of him and also the worst in shape. He kept his mouth like that for a while, and every so often his lip would shake as he let out a whimper. His eyes darted up to Jason for a second and quickly back away as the latter began to move closer.

Jason remained smirking. "Good," he said nonchalantly. "The hour's over. We'll get you cleaned up and the start with the next lesson." He said the last word with power as his tongue wrapped around the syllables with authority and prosperity.

Spencer felt something under his arms and his feet left the ground, and he told himself that he was being carried. He shut his eyes and held onto the only thing he could: Jason. He found his fingers clutching his captor's shirt and then flexed them away, knowing that was partially what the man wanted from him. He strained for a few moments but his body, and somewhat his mind, caved and he found himself pulling onto Jason for support and warmth as the two of them made it to somewhere Spencer wasn't concentrating on. He winced as Jason set him down and when he opened his eyes he recognized it as a bathroom. He was happy that it was at least it was clean.

He was on a white toilet seat as his feet were nested awkwardly on the pine green and porcine white linoleum tiling. He shut his eyes for a moment to put some things together and instantly tensed when a warm, hot to the touch, and wet cloth was draped over his back. He winced as Jason placed his hand on his back, taking the soft piece of soaked fabric and ran is across his back. Spencer wished that the way he did it wasn't easing the tension in his body and actually gave him strength to fight back against his opponent.

He sighed internally, not wanting Jason to hear his relief, as the wet washrag soothed him more than necessary. He was frozen in an ice box for around an hour and now he was going to have do something to the same affect again? The thought scared him even as he continued to relax. He grimaced again as the Jason moved downward, getting closer to his butt which he knew was badly torn. The skin was probably ripped to the extent that it was bleeding.

After a few more moments of agonizing pain, Jason stood up straight and pulled Spencer's chin up. "Time for number two."

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><p><strong>Random ending point! I was going to make this chapter SO much longer, but then I wouldn't have it up until next week and that was just TOO long of a wait. I'd love to hear your thoughts! They mean a lot! Thanks for reading!<strong>


	18. Connection

**I'm sorry I haven't posted in a while. I just got done with my parenting class project; it sucked. I had to care for a plastic obnoxious baby for over a week. I didn't have a lot of time to shower, let alone write. Nanowrimo starts next week and I don't know if I'm 'allowed' to work on this during that time, but I will try to anyways. **

**Anyway, this is chapter eighteen and I hope you enjoy it.**

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><p>Morgan stood under the archway to Penelope Garcia's bat cave, knocking lightly on the wood that separated the two rooms. The tech turned around, her face lightening at the sight of her knight. "Hey, babe. Coming to check up on me?"<p>

Derek Morgan nodded, taking a couple steps until he reached the end of her massive group of computers. "Hotch said you had something?"

She nodded and turned around once again facing the machines. "I was searching in our databanks for people that seemed to be, well, Reid-like. You have no idea how many undiscovered geniuses there are, Hun. I came across a kid that learned how to speak Portuguese in half a week-"

"Baby girl," Morgan said, trying to keep the girl on task.

"Oh, right. Sorry. Well, while I was digging through all this stuff I found some records I never noticed before. Around three years ago we were doing a survey around the area for people who wanted to get involved in the FBI and whatnot and I came across this one guy I didn't remember filing the paperwork for or anything, since I was the one doing it then, but it looks like the papers were filed by our very own Doctor Reid and the guy wasn't cleared to join or anything. Reid noted that the guy probably had an IQ of around 160 or a little more, which is still high over average even though Reid's a super genius-"

"Do you have a name or address?" Derek asked, peering over her chair at the files on the computer screen. He was on nerve, especially since this could be their big break.

"Both, actually, let me dig those up for you." Garcia's fingers tapped the keys in insurmountable speed and the finally clicked on a link and turned over her shoulder to look at Morgan. "Andrew Jason; 371 Parliament Avenue, here in Quantico."

Morgan nodded. "Thanks, baby girl." He turned over his shoulder and walked through the archway to get back to the team. This was the first lead they had and they needed to put it to use.

"Just bring my baby home safe," Penelope said loud enough for Derek to hear. He turned around quickly and gave her a small smile. "We'll do our best, princess."

* * *

><p>Spencer's hands were knotted together with thick rope that could hold a boat to dock. Jason was working his hands around the genius's ankles so that they were fastened in the same manner. The younger one was still cold from being in the freezer and the tips of his body were still shaking erratically. Every once in a while Jason would look down at the doctor and slightly quirk his lips to the side. Reid, though, never saw this because his eyes were continuously clenched shut.<p>

He was finding it easier to give up at the hand or Jason because of the many times the latter had told him he wasn't going to get out of this alive. That there was no way in hell he was letting him get away. Reid begged to differ. He _was _going to get away from here, away from this freak, but he was going to need to help of his team to do so. All he had to do was get these next two hours over with and ba-bam!, he'd have something to tell them and then they could get to him. He bit his lip, still not looking out from behind his lids. He just wanted to get home.

"Done," Jason said, causing Reid to look up from his solitary darkness and into the eyes of his captor, eyes of thrill and anticipation. He blinked and averted his eyes by looking back down to the floor, not shutting his orbs' lids this time. He felt Jason's hand wrap snuggly, but not forcefully, around his jugular, and his eyes snapped open to take in the view.

They were back in the basement now and the rope that was around Reid's wrists was also fastened to the bedpost that they were both on top of. Jason gave the genius a smirk as the doctor tried to pull his face away with a deep frown set upon his lips. "Don't look away from me," boomed from deep inside Jason and Reid fought his best judgment and turned his eyes back on to his captor.

"What do you want from me?" the doctor asked, fighting his internal urges to remain silent. He didn't comply. "Is there even a real reason you're keeping me here?"

Jason blinked his eyes, not in a way where he was trying to understand the question, but more of trying to get the right answer to his captive. After a few moments or silence, he turned his own eyes back to the man next to him and frowned. "I don't have to explain myself to you."

Spencer's eyes grew hard. He was internally freaking out because he was normally _never_ this mad. Then again, this wasn't really a normal situation. It wasn't every day he was taken captive by a guy that envied him so much. "No, you're absolutely wrong." Jason's eye shown in shock from the genius's words; he never imagined the weak kid to fight back, even if it was with words. "I have the _right_ to why you took me against my will and locked me up in this hell. I _deserve_ to know why you're keeping me here. Are you somehow gaining from this? Does my pain and horror excite you? You know exactly what you're causing and you love the way I react. You _love_ to see me give up fighting. You love to hear the cries that come up from my throat. You need to know you're hurting someone and this time that someone is me. You wish I could be the person that you truly want to hurt because all your pain and angry is still pent up inside you and you know that it won't leave until you can explode on the person this is all aimed towards. You wish you could _kill _me because you know the longer I'm here the shorter amount of time you have to get rid of them. You want me to give up so you can get on with what you really want to do." The genius took a breath when he finished and continued to look at the man next to him.

Jason cocked a smirk and Reid thought he felt his insides melting away. "Finally, I get the profile that I wanted."

"Wh-what?" Spencer asked, blinking his eyes quickly to refocus the image.

Jason rose from the bed walking towards one of the far walls and stood there for a few moments before he erupted into a fit a laughs. Reid calculated it as a psychotic break. He knew it wasn't the first time Jason had experience this, but it was Spencer's first time witnessing it.

"That's exactly what I wanted from you, Spencer," Jason said, taking a break his psychotic laughter, and continued looking at the wall. "I told you before to give me your version of my profile and you never complied. It's a little late, overdue is you will, but I received it nonetheless."

Spencer's eyes widened a little bit. All he wanted was the profile? "Does that mean you're going to let me go now?" He knew the answer was no from the time he thought of the first word, but trying never hurt anyone, right?

Jason simply turned around and gave the young doctor a smirk that only made his heart sink further. "You think that was _all _I wanted?" He gave a thick, hearty chuckle that pierced Reid's soul. "There's no way I'm done yet. You still have facts to learn before you talk to your team. I still have ways to torture you that you haven't seen before. We're nowhere near done."

Spencer bit his lip as Jason got closer and tried to pull towards the bedpost but the restraints holding his feet together were making that task harder than it should have been. Jason neared the bed and pulled himself over the end, sitting in the middle of the foot of the bed and pulled out another lace of rope and began to untie the fastening on Spencer's feet. The genius grimaced as the hard rough fabric skidded across his skin creating an instantaneous burning sensation. After moments of taking the rope back, it was back in Jason's hand and the man was standing up from the bed and moving towards the center where the core of the autodidact's body was laid. "You're a lot smaller than I realized, Spencer." The genius pulled the bottom of his body towards the top as an attempt to keep his body to himself.

"Relax, I'm not going to do anything to you with my body."

Spencer frowned, thinking that that only meant something psychologically was going to happen.

Jason stepped away from the bed and instantly Reid relaxed, earning a smirk from Jason who was making his way towards the cabinet along the adjacent wall. Spencer's stomach seemed to shrink and he began to gnaw on the skin along his bottom lip. He gripped his finger onto the rope, watching Jason with wide eyes. He continued to watch for moments before blinking to wet his eyes. Jason was messing with something but he couldn't see what it was from where he was. The man set whatever it was down on the ledge of the cabinet and walked back towards Reid, holding thick piece of black fabric in his hands.

Spencer glanced up to meet his captor's eyes. The black enveloped him as it was tied around his head to keep him from viewing anything

After a while of little sounds coming from where Jason was, he heard footsteps echoing, growing closer to him. He felt Jason's cold hands snap something around his neck and then the footsteps retreated and stopped once again.

He heard something click and almost instantly felt a surge of electricity plummeting through him. He bit down on his tongue hard as the shocks continued to come, not stopped for breaths.

* * *

><p>Aaron Hotchner and Jason Gideon were sitting in a small investigation room, across from them was one Andrew Jason. "You're saying you have no idea what we're talking about?"<p>

The kid, a brunette a couple years younger than Morgan, frowned. "That's exactly what I'm saying. I don't even know who Doctor Spencer Reid is. Never met him, from what I remember."

"Hotch," came over the intercom in the room. The voice belonged to Morgan but it was a little off, not as upfront as he normally was. The two agents excused themselves and left the room to find a disheveled Morgan standing in their midst.

"Let's go to the conference room to talk," he said, leading the way in silence when Hotch and Gideon shared a glance before moving forward on to the room.

When they arrived, the entire time (besides Reid obviously) was gathered around the table with grave expressions on their faces.

"What's this about?" Gideon asked, taking a look around the room to find the phone on the table in service and glanced back up to Morgan. "Who's on the line?"

"Gideon?"

The agent turned back to the phone as it sat on the receiver, his eyes slowly widening in unfeigned horror. It was a voice he knew oh too well and one that he was happy to hear, but under the circumstances, this was no celebration.

"Reid," the SSA muttered almost breathlessly. He would have continued saying_ something_ but was interrupted by Reid's following words.

"He's letting me call you. You have three questions and three minutes. What do you want to know?"

**BABAM. Done! Took forever… Kind of short, and for that I apologize. :o Anyway, review? Please? Until next time! :D**


	19. Modus Operandi

**I'm sorry, I've been gone for a while. I had ONE C in my mathematics class along with SEVEN As and my dad's all BLAH about it and until now I haven't had the computer. **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds and am no way profiting from this.**

**I need to get better at putting those in these chapters…**

**Okay, here's chapter nineteen.**

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><p>Jason Gideon remained completely still as he heard the voice boom from the speaker. He was thrown off a little, yes, but at this time him being a thrown off wasn't going to be a big deal. He started to gnaw on the inside of his cheek before he broke the silence that was surrounding the room. "Reid," he mumbled, the words practically falling out of his mouth. There was no way to correctly say what he was feeling. Shocked, penetrated, somewhat alone. His thoughts averted almost instantly when his student spoke up from the other line.<p>

"He's letting me call you," Spencer said, not taking a break, "You get three questions and three minutes. What do you want to know?"

Around the room the team shifted slightly at what the young genius had said, but they had to remain cool, calm, and collected. There was nothing else to it. They couldn't let whoever was holding Reid let them know he had anything on them.

Gideon moved a pace to the left and took a step back. He needed time to process what the hell was happening before he did anything. They only had three minutes; he didn't have time to think.

"Are you okay? As in physical and emotional?"

A breath sounded from the speaker box, something that could have been recognized as a sigh. "I'm fine. A few lacerations, a couple scars, frostbite that's slowly getting better, and a throat that's progressing the opposite way of what I want."

"Emotionally, Spencer," Gideon demanded, not satisfied with the genius's response.

There was a short break in noise coming from the speaker box. "I could be better."

That was it? Seriously?

So far, Gideon had reduced that there had been some type of fabric holding Reid when the unsub wasn't doing anything, he was probably cut in some sick way that was pleasing the captor, he most likely was placed in some kind of freezer, and a sore throat, either from the cold or something else entirely. And the unsub was letting him say all this, so he obviously wasn't working about getting caught. All Spencer was saying now that he could be better? They needed something more! What could be so bad that he wasn't willing to speak of at the moment?

Gideon's mind floated in a million different directions but he couldn't think of what could have happened. He needed to put together what he already knew.

"Alright." The next question came to him. Better to be blunt, then you're asking more than one thing. "What do you know about the unsub so far?"

* * *

><p>Reid swallowed hard, thinking about exactly what he deduced. There was the profile, the name, everything he guessed, what he looked like. Gideon was frank about what he asked, so Jason shouldn't get t mad if he answered. He knew that if he was wrong he would obtain some sort of 'punishment' later. He decided to take his chances.<p>

"His name is Jason and he's a white male I'm guessing between the ages of 25 and 35. He's a sexual sadist with a high intelligence and miraculous creativity. Dark red hair and dark eyes. He likes being in control but that's quite the reason he does any of this, from what I can tell. He likes the pleasure that's derived from it, likes to see his captives squirm. It's like there's nothing better than the perfect kill. He envies me because I got somewhere with my intelligence and all he does is continue to sink further into the ground. He's resourceful and he's made torture more like living hell. It took approximately three hours or less to get here and we most definitely not going the speed limit because obviously I'm still here right now." He paused for a moment, taking a deep breath before continuing. "I have to give my one month coin back, though."

* * *

><p>Gideon knew what that meant. Somehow this guy, Jason, had dilaudid and was giving it to Reid. At least once, anyway. He knew the young doctor would choose anything but death to stay away from the substance so he must not have been giving the kid choices.<p>

Right now, it seemed as if it was only him in the room: him, standing in front of that black phone with Reid on the other end. The rest of the team was silent, not making a move or a noise as the conversation unfolded into things that could continue to help them.

One more question. One more question. One more question.

What the hell was he supposed to ask now? He had gotten the profile, knew that Reid was alright, or what the autodidact thought surmounted to being alright. What else did they need to know?

Second went by. Gideon could hear the clock along the wall: tick, tick, tick, tick.

"Gideon?"

Reid's voice echoed in the room like the conference space was letting him know he wasn't coming back. The older man felt a pinched nerve in his side, throbbing incessantly as he began to open his mouth.

"I don't know, Reid. I'm at a loss of what to ask you."

Silence and then, "Can I ask you something then?"

The Supervisory Special Agent glanced around the room, watching his teammates for a moment, and then turned back to the phone that was resting neatly on the port. "Go ahead, Spencer."

Nothing happened for a few moments and then Reid spoke up once more. "How long will it take you to find me?"

Gideon remained quiet for moments to come and he turned around once more, his eyes on Garcia and she mouthed something to the older man. He gave her a quick nod, turning around to face the phone once again. "Not too much longer now. Garcia's working on the profile you gave us at the moment. We should have something in a few minutes."

* * *

><p>Spencer smiled lightly, shutting his eyes for a moment. "Good. I want to come home."<p>

"You'll be here soon, son," the older father-like agent said through the microphone from his side of the conversation.

Breaking apart the silent moment of peace they shared was a quick three taps on the door. "Oh, he has an obsession with the number three."

Gideon began to speak. "Rei-"

"Sorry, Gideon, I have to go." The doctor felt like crying, knowing that sooner than later he'd be out of here; hopefully alive. He had to keep his ground, not let Jason know where he stood.

"Spencer-"

* * *

><p>"Bye, Dad."<p>

-Call Ended-

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><p><strong>So? Short, yes, I know. I had to write something and don't have any time to continue! Once December 4<strong>**th**** rolls around I should get better at this… I'm sorry. D: I feel bad for being gone a while and now only posting a little over 1,000 words… I'm sorry. I'll work to make it up to you! I'm buckling down! I will not write anything else until I finish this! (Besides papers and my Christmas Prompt! Ah!) Anyway, until next time… BYE!**


	20. Glock

**AH! It's January 1****st**** and I' sorry I've been so bad on updating. That's one of my new years resolutions, by the way. c: anyway~**

**This is chapter 20 and I hope you enjoy. **

**I still don't own Criminal Minds. :o**

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><p>The words 'call ended' still blinked on the receiver. Nothing was said for moments and the entire team let the silence settle in. They had something now and something was better than nothing.<p>

"Garcia, are you triangulating the phone call?"

The technical analysis glanced up from the floor to the older agent, all eyes on her. "Yes, it should come up in a few moments. I'll head down there now and page you when I come up with something." Letting her blonde hair lush beyond her, Penelope Garcia swayed from the conference room, moving quickly down into her bat cave, hoping to get something that would help them.

Gideon turned around from his position, standing in front of the phone, and looked to Aaron. "We're going to need SWAT. We have a FBI Agent in captivity; we're going to need everything. I don't believe that this 'Jason' character is just going to give us Reid."

Aaron Hotchner nodded, Morgan and JJ dismissing themselves from the room.

Prentiss watched the two for a moment before she left as well.

"Aaron, we're going to get him back, right?"

Hotch's attention was sent back to the older agent. Gideon stood there, his eyes focused outside the windows, merely watching through the small cracks between the blinds. What was Hotch supposed to say? He couldn't just give a blunt yes or no. "We're doing our best. I have faith."

Gideon's brow creased as he turned his head to look at Hotch once again. "So do I."

* * *

><p>Steps creaked down the stairs and Spencer tensed as he glanced over his shoulder so see Jason approaching him. He snapped the mobile shut, holding his hand out. "Here," he said, hoping to take some of the edge out of the moment.<p>

Jason took the phone from his hand, giving the younger man a look of oddity, like he was confused or something of the sort. He grinned when Spencer frowned. "So, what did you talk about? If you don't mind my asking?"

Reid quirked his lips to the side. What was he supposed to say? Then again, what could he loose from telling Jason?

The genius nodded despite his mind's questionable reasoning. "He asked about me. He wanted to know if I was okay." He took a pause before getting ready to continue.

"What did you say?" Jason asked, one of his eyebrows rising slightly at the change in his tone.

Spencer watched him. "I told him I have a couple scars and a sore throat." Jason nodded and Reid took the gesture as him saying he could continue. "He wanted to know about you. I gave him the basic profile, along with what I already knew."

Spencer was quiet for a few moments before Jason tensed his glance. "You were allowed three questions. What else?"

The genius looked down at the ground and Jason placed a hand on his shoulder. It wasn't a reassuring grip, to say in the least. It sent Reid's glance back up at his captor, slightly frightened. "I asked him how long it would take. For them to find me, I mean." His focus darted away and when he turned to Jason again, his eyes were hard and persistent. "Gideon didn't say anything for a while and he didn't know what else to ask, so he said I could ask something. I didn't know if that was against the rules and I'm really really sorry if it was. I just hadn't talked to him for so long and I miss them like crazy and-"

"Spencer."

Dr. Reid's lip quivered slightly below the other. He really didn't want to die. "I'm sorry," he repeated, his voice quavering into multiple octaves.

Jason simply stood before him, hands deep in his pockets and his heart sunk into his chest. There's was nothing said for moments as they passed, but Jason continued to watch his captive get uncomfortable under his gaze. "Did they say anything else? What did he say when you asked him how long it would take?"

Spencer shifted uncomfortably on his feet, switching the weight of his body onto his other foot. "He said they should have something in a few minutes, and that it wouldn't be too much longer until I was back."

A sickeningly silk-like smile crept its way onto Jason's lips and the corners of his mouth were almost twitching. "Then the fun will begin soon. Very soon."

Reid adverted his eyes from the floor and to Jason, who was standing before him looking like a stereotypical psychopath. He couldn't ask what he meant; the words weren't able to form around his mouth. He couldn't speak. His mouth was like mush.

"Don't worry, Spencer. You'll see your team soon enough. I find it hard to believe that I'll have the pleasure."

"W-What do you mean?"

The smile on Jason's lips only continued to grow. "I'll see you again. Sometime, I promise you that, but for now, I have other places I need to be."

Spencer's chestnut brown locks collapsed together as Jason grasped the hair on his head. Not hard, or anything of the like. Playfully, like an older sibling giving the younger a 'noogie'.

"I need to get going, Spencer," Jason told the agent, letting go of his hair and moving away from him and towards the stairs. "I'll see you soon, but not soon enough."

"What are you saying, Jason?" Spencer yelled, getting slightly agitated as he continued to get nothing from the other man. His brow creased inward and he shot a look of fury at Jason.

But Jason could only muster a laugh as he made his way up the stairs. Reid ran to the bottom, looking up as the other slowly turned the knob. "Don't leave me down here, Jason. You won't get away with any of this. They'll find you, me included. My team will bring you down."

Jason grinned and looked down at the genius, pulling a small gun from under his shirt. He aimed it down at the other, and Reid looked like a deer caught in the headlights. "I have to, Spencer. It's the only way." He used his middle finger and flipped off the safety just as Reid darted out of the way, behind the stairs that lowered into the basement.

Jason stepped up onto the level floor platform as he slipped the door open. He was almost ready to shut the door, still aiming the gun at the absent Spencer. "Letting you know, I was never planning to shoot." He flicked the safety back on and through the gun down the stairs, creating an echo as it hit the concrete floor at the bottom.

The door slammed and Reid could hear a click as Jason locked the door. A mild curse slipped the doctor's lips and he growled under his breath.

What was Jason meaning when he told him that he wasn't going to be there, that he had other places to be? Did he really think that he could get out of here without having the problem of a FBI agent on his heels?

Reid ran over at picked up the gun, noting it was a Glock. The ammo was full, but he only had six bullets. They all needed to be worth the shot.

He slowly stepped up the stairs and slid against the adjacent wall, holding the gun with both hands as he readied the shot. He grew closer to the door and he twisted the knob after switching the Glock over. It was indeed locked, but it wouldn't even be a knob for much longer.

Spencer cocked back the firearm and pulled his finger back against the trigger. As the thin smoke cleared, the knob had been destroyed and Reid thumped his figure against the door, causing it to slam open.

No one was around, that he saw, from stepping up onto the platform Jason was on moments before.

It only been seconds since the other disappeared into the house.

Off in the distance, Reid heard an ignition start, and he quickly darted in the way of the noise. It was too dark outside to see anything or anyone, but he made out the dim headlights as said car pulled from a nearby driveway.

Most likely, Jason wasn't there.

But that was all he had, so he moved towards the closest door and smashed into it full force, almost throwing out his hip as the door belted forward. He didn't bat an eye; the adrenaline was pumping through him, beat after beat. Like his heart was dancing to a dubstep song.

He slipped along the wooden exterior of the house, and came to steps leading down a porch.

He would have been too tired to run, too drained, but the power streaming through his veins at this very moment kept him going. He darted towards the driveway he saw before and ran in front of the car.

The vehicle slammed on its breaks as Reid neared the driver side window. "Lower the glass!" he yelled, making sure the person inside could hear him.

A teenager, probably just got his liscence, rolled down the window and stared frightened into Spencer's eyes.

"FBI," Spencer told him but the tension only built. "I need a phone. Do you have one?"

The kid nodded and turned away, digging in the passenger seat. He looked back at Reid with the same eyes, holding out the phone milliseconds before Spencer snatched it for him.

The genius dialed a number, the one that made the most sense, and hit the small green button in the corner and glanced down at the kid, who still had the gun pointed at him. "Have you seen Jason?"

The boy shook his head quickly and lowered the weapon, and Reid heard the click in the background signaling the phone was picked up. "Jason Gideon, FBI. What-"

"Gideon, it's Reid. I think Jason got away."

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><p><strong>Okay. C:<strong>

**So, happy new year to all of you. I'm really sorry I haven't posted in a while! I lost inspiration and stuff… but I hope this makes up for it. I should have something else later in the week. I'm off of school until this Thursday, but I only have half-days for those. :D**

**Thank you for reading!**

**Review? :3**


	21. Comeback

**I figured I needed to write, so I'm just gonna sit and down and force my muse to give me something. Hopefully, this is better than what I gave you before. From planning, I think this is my favorite chapter. C:**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Criminal Minds and the characters all belong to their respective creators.**

**This is chapter 21.**

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><p>Jason stood in his shed out back, taking a few breaths before he would continue on. He had thrown the Glock down the stairs, figuring Spencer having a weapon would make the game ultimately more interesting.<p>

He ran a hand threw his dark red hair, his eyes scrunching up as he glanced through one of the shed windows. It was dark outside, yes, but the light flickering along the roof of the building gave him enough to make out shadows.

Through the trees along his driveway, he could make out a car sitting along the cobble-stone. Jeremy's car, to be exact.

His neighbors, a middle aged couple, had a teenage son that he guessed they left home while the both of them went on a cruise to Palm Springs. He pondered for a moment why they didn't take the boy with them, and then stopped. He didn't give a damn why they left Jeremy. He only cared why the kid had stopped his car, and why he was now sitting there, handing something out to the darkness.

Then it hit him.

A hand reached out from the black that was enveloping the rest of the world and took the thing Jeremy was passing to it.

Spencer.

Jason grabbed his shotgun, a Winchester 1912, and slipped from the shed that was containing him moments before. He moved around the building until he was able to make out Jeremy inside the car and Spencer outside of it. Spencer had his phone, that's what Jeremy had passed to him.

Spencer punched in a number and looked back at Jeremy. "Have you seen Jason?" he asked, holding the phone to his ear.

Jeremy shook his head as Jason moved slow and stealthily behind the genius. He stood tall, waiting for the perfect moment to strike.

Something muttered on the other end of the phone but Spencer cut it off. "Gideon," he said, while a sickening grin caressed Jason's face, "it's Reid. I think Jason got away."

Now, Jason's mind told him and he pulled back the gage atop his gun, and when the noise startled the agent, he shot.

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><p>"AH!" blasted through Gideon's phone as he held the device to his ear. The young man called him, claiming Jason was gone. What the hell had led up to that?<p>

"Reid, what's happened?"

When nothing came from the phone, Gideon glanced to Agent Hotchner.

For now, all they could do was wait for the response.

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><p>Jeremy's eyes shot up to Jason, who was standing over the fallen man. What the hell was going on here?<p>

He was just gonna go to Abby's, his girlfriends, house for dinner. Her parents invited him over since his were away, but he felt like any day now she was going to dump him. Their relationship wasn't going the way either of them wanted it to. Jeremy had soccer and it was taking up most of his time, and the time that it didn't, he was either working or doing things for his church. Abby was the same way, except she was involved in ballet and she had to do show choir.

He had been waiting for her to end it, saying they didn't spend enough time together, but it never came.

He just hoped it wasn't going to be tonight, but he didn't even think he was going to make it there. With Jason standing there, firing down at the other guy, he didn't believe he was going to leave his drive way, let alone get back into his house. His life was practically flashing before his eyes.

Jason lowered his weapon and he bent over, picking up Jeremy's phone. He glanced at the latter, and he placed the phone to his ear, still watching him.

"I'm sorry, Agent Gideon. I don't think Spencer can come to the phone at the moment."

So the guy's name was Spencer, but why was Jason shooting at him? And why the hell was he here in the first place? What was an FBI Agent doing Gettysburg, Maryland? Then again, was he even FBI?

Jason cocked a laugh as the other side most likely responded to him. "I'm the son of a bitch?" His laughter only grew and he was pretty much cackling. "But anyway, I'm pretty sure you're already getting the address the phones at right now, but I'm letting you know, I'm not too sure you'll get anything when you get here."

Why wouldn't who get anything? What the **hell** was going on here?

Jason kept his locked on Jeremy's even still, like he was doing something wrong. A piercing stare, Jeremy noted, because if he ever needed anything again he needed to remember not to ask Jason.

"Agent Gideon, please, keep on topic. There's no time to drabble. You have an Agent's life at stake."

His grin grew and Jeremy only sunk deeper into the driver's seat.

"Not to mention a young boy's."

Shit, Jeremy thought. There was no way that 'young boy' wasn't him. Jeremy wished he was anywhere but here.

"I do have neighbors, Agent Gideon. It's not like I live in Antarctica."

Jason pulled the microphone on the phone away from his mouth and started to speak to someone besides 'Agent Gideon'.

"Open the door, Jeremy, and get out. Slowly."

He complied. What else was he supposed to do? Man his car and get shot in the process? Yeah, no thanks.

Jason shut the door and glanced down at the man, Spencer, who was still withering in pain. He was shot in the side, not enough to kill him, but enough to create unbearable pain for the next few moments to come.

"We'll leave him there. Now, start towards my shed."

The barell of the gun made contact with Jeremy's back and the only thing he could think of was 'Please, oh please, don't shoot. I have too much to live for." Hell, he was only seventeen. He had so much life in him still! He couldn't die right here!

But still, he walked back to the shed, not stopping, with the gun still pressed into his back and Jason still talking on the phone. "Nothing's happened yet, Agent Gideon. Nothing to worry about. The boy is fine." He paused, the other end talking. "Oh, Spencer, he's just a little busy at the moment."

"Open the door and go inside," Jason told him, jarring the gun harder into his back.

"I'm sorry, Agent Gideon. I have to finish up some things first. I believe we'll be seeing each other quite soon."

Jason snapped the phone shut and followed Jeremy inside, and shut the door behind him.

The teen turned around after Jason lowered his gun, his eyes wide and helpless. "Don't hurt me, Jason. I didn't do anything wrong," he pleaded, but Jason returned his words with an odd look in his eye.

"I wasn't going to hurt you, Jeremy. I had to make him feel out of control. He's already freaked out because he's been missing an Agent for days, and now that unsub has another captive, a young teenager." He shrugged, blowing the idea off.

"Why is that guy here anyway?" Jeremy asked, his brown eyes narrowing slightly as his eyebrows knitted together. "Is there a reason FBI's involved in all this?"

Jason didn't say anything and he turned around, no longer facing Jeremy. He began to mess with something on one of the counters, and Jeremy took the moment to his advantage. He glanced around the room, looking for things that he'd be able to hit Jason with. He wanted the hell out of here and nothing was better than hitting the opponent in a weak spot. Like the groin, or the head.

He spotted a baseball bat and told himself that he needed to get that, that he was going to get that, because his life, along with that other guy's life, depended on it.

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><p>Gideon slammed the phone down on the table in frustration. He was always the calm one but this was pissing him off beyond belief. The guy was completely playing them, and there was nothing he could do about it. Yeah, he could call Jason back but it's not like the guy would answer.<p>

He leaned on the table, his palms leaving marks as he pressed them down.

"Sir?"

Gideon leaned back, seeing Garcia in the doorway.

"I've triangulated the area. The phone was in Gettysburg, Maryland. It'll take around an hour to get there by road."

"Call and get the jet ready. Wheels up when we're cleared to fly."

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><p>"You're awfully quite, Jeremy," Jason said, not looking back at the teenager.<p>

When the boy said nothing, Jason turned around, to find that his only welcome was a baseball bat right in the chest. He bent over, heaving in air, as another whack hit him hard in the groin. "That's what you get, bastard," Jeremy spat, slamming the bat hard into Jason's head as he neared the floor.

Jason hit the concrete hard, and Jeremy chucked the bat one more time into his chest before slamming it down on the man for the last time. He grabbed the phone off the counter and darted from the shed to his car, making the quick journey in seconds. He shoved his phone in his pocket and through open the door behind his driver's side seat.

Spencer was still laying on the ground, looking better than he did before, and Jeremy picked up his torso from the ground. "C'mon, Spencer, you gotta help me here. I'm not that strong, mind you."

"Right," Spencer grumbled and Jeremy almost held back a smile. He helped Spencer into the back of the car and the latter buckled himself in. He ran back to the spot where the agent was and picked up the Glock, clicking on the safety. He jumped in the car, and handed the gun back to Spencer and threw the car into drive.

"Hang onto that, we might need it again," Jeremy said, pulling from the long drive way and turning a sharp right.

"Thank you," Spencer said. Jeremy shrugged and pulled out his phone, handing it back to Spencer.

"It's not a problem. Now, I vowed not to make phone calls while I'm driving, so call back that Gideon guy and tell him you're out of there. I'm gonna get us out of here, hopefully to somewhere Jason doesn't even know of."

Jeremy saw Spencer smile from the review mirror. "What's your name?"

"Jeremy," he said, switching gears. "Jeremy Shepherd."

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><p><strong>Man, I loved writing this. Thank God my muse shut up her whining and gave me what I wanted. xD<strong>

**And now Jason's down. With aching balls.**

**xD**

**Aw, I love Jeremy. C:**

**He's actually based on one of my friends. :3**

**Thanks for reading! Review, please? C:**


	22. Rebound & Strike

**I believe after this chapter, there will be two more: one chapter, and then the epilogue.  
>I hope you enjoy.<strong>

**Disclaimer: I do not own Criminal Minds and am in no way profiting from this story.**

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><p>Spencer's fingers fumbled on the keyboard, hitting the little buttons with the flex of his thumbs. They were flying down the road – as fast as they could fly only going 58 miles per hour. Reid bit his lip, beating his finger down on the small green phone on the keypad, resting it against his left ear while his right arm pulled the corresponding knee to his chest. It rang two times before Gideon's voice interrupted his thoughts.<p>

"_Gideon,"_ the man said on the other side of the line.

Reid couldn't suppress a pained smile. "Gideon, it's me." He shifted somewhat, wincing as his knee came closer to his chest. "Jeremy's getting us out of here."

The phone line was silent for a moment, and right as Reid was going to speak to make sure Gideon heard him, the older man spoke up. _"Good, that's good. Put the phone on speaker, Spencer. Then I can talk to both of you."_

Spencer pulled the phone away from his ear, his eyes darting as he looked at the keypad with shaking eyes, trying to find the button. He hit it a split second later, holding it up and out so that it would be centered more or less. His knee rocked back again, hitting the back of the car seat, causing Reid to open his mouth as he pulled in an excruciating gasp. He was holding as still as he could as they drove along bumpy dirt roads. Even still, he bit down on his lip again as the car bounced once more on the loose gravel.

"Spencer, are you okay?" Jeremy's voice boomed from the front of the car and Reid could see him watching him from the rearview mirror.

The genius nodded, but replied vocally as well, managing to get out a hurt "I'm fine". At least he could be once he got the heck out of the middle of nowhere with a psychopath after him and an easily killable teenage boy. He didn't like the idea that he was dragging Jeremy into this, because in all totality, he did. He asked the boy for help as he was leaving, and then Jason had found them.

But Reid pushed his thoughts aside focused back on Gideon again. If he wanted to get Jeremy out of this alive, even though they had no idea where the hell Jason was, he was going to need to make sure he could pay attention to his mentor, even through all the agonizing ripples of torn muscle in his leg stretched out.

"You're on, Gideon," he said, noticing Jeremy's eyes float back for a second and then back onto the road.

"_What direction are you going?" _

"South," Jeremy said, slowing down and then making a right. "I just turned us onto Route 30, heading west."

Reid thought he could make out the faint sound of Gideon nodding, but before he confirmed it, Gideon said _"Keep going that way until you get to Gettysburg Regional Airport."_

Jeremy nodded from the front seat, tightening his grip on the steering wheel until Spence could see the bright white knuckles on the leather. "Yes sir," the boy said, glancing back through the mirror and meeting Reid's eyes for a moment before he glanced back at the road, pulling the sun visor down.

"_That's all, Reid," _Gideon says through the receiver, and Reid pulls the phone back and takes it off speaker before pressing it up against his ear.

"How long?" he asked, glancing out the front window and watching the horizon as it folded up behind him. When he got home, that was the first thing he was going to put on his new life list. Actually watch a sunset outside. Not one of the ones he can get as a television screensaver, but a real live sunset. The entire thing.

Gideon's voice drew Reid back out of his thoughts once again, and he watched Jeremy as the teenage kept his keen attention on the road. _"Not too long, Reid. Maybe fifteen minutes tops." _Gideon stopped for a second, but Reid knew not to talk, that that older profiler was going to continue. _"Where did he shoot you?"_

Spence glanced at his knee, folded half-heartedly against his chest. He could feel the pain increase when he tried to lay it out flat, put knew that releasing the pressure against the muscles in his leg was better than having the bullet hit them too. "My knee," he said, somberly. His voice was hard, but not cold. He wasn't angry or anything – well, not at Gideon – but the pain shooting up his leg was throbbing.

"_Just hang on, son. We'll be there soon."_

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><p>Jason reached his hand on the counter, pulling himself off the cold concrete of the shed.<p>

"That little bitch," he muttered, standing up as he leaned against the wood. His head was pounding and the phone was gone. Not to mention the weapon – a baseball bat – was laying across the shed randomly. He narrowed his eyes and resisted the urge to kill anyone that he saw.

Not that he'd be seeing anyone. He lived in the middle of nowhere.

Before thinking, he walked over to the gun cabinet he had in the back of the room. He unlocked the doors with a swish of the padlock and took out two hand guns and a round of bullets for the shot gun he shot Agent Reid with minutes before.

There was an old Pontiac under the green tarp he had, and he pulled it back and shoved the guns and ammo inside, going back to get the shotgun from the work bench.

There was no time to dilly dally.

He hopped in the driver's seat with a thick grunt and hit the back button to open the garage door. The rusty exit rolled up the front of the shed and Jason switched gears, pulling out onto the gravel drive way. He got to the end and took a right, just like Jeremy did. Hopefully he could make out all the tire tracks Jeremy made. That little bitch was going to pay, as well as Agent Reid.

He didn't take insubordination well.

Jeremy was an outsider. He had no right to get in the middle of this. There was no place for a lazy teenage boy in the midst of his game.

Jason held back a growl and set out down the road, ready for whatever the dusk would decide to throw at him.

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><p>Jeremy glanced at the review mirror, looking at Spencer as the Agent fidgeted with his hands, trying not to move his leg so as not to hurt it anymore. He looked back at the road and kept his thoughts to himself.<p>

He wanted to ask why Spencer was at Jason's house in the first place, and why a FBI agent was out in the middle of the country with his neighbor.

And why had Jason shot him?

It's not like Jason was a serial killer or anything. Maybe it was a misunderstanding and Jason didn't know Spencer was a FBI agent. Maybe he just thought some hooligan was messing with his house again. That's had Jason said had happened last time his parents heard the shot gun go off.

"Just another unruly teenager," he'd say, and then Jeremy's parents would sigh and Jason would go off on how glad he was that Jeremy wasn't a stupid kid and knew that he needed to keep to himself, and not mess with other people's lives.

Man. Now that he was thinking about it, Jason didn't seem that nice of a person. Sure, he minded his manners around Jeremy's parents but… but he shot at teenagers?

Something wasn't adding up.

"Why were you at Jason's house?"

Spencer looked up, the question startling him. He didn't think that Jeremy was going to say anything for the remainder of the car ride. One part of him was glad that the teenager was curious, concerned really, but the other half of him didn't want to explain to a kid that his neighbor was a psychopath that liked to kill people for fun.

His answer was going to be simple. "For work."

Spence knew Jeremy wasn't going to be satisfied with that. "Jason's a carpenter. You're a FBI agent." He slowed the car down at an intersection with a red light. Pulling up behind them was a Chevy Suburban, and down the road was a 1987 Pontiac. "What could you possibly be involved in together?"

The genius looked out the window; he was watching cars slow down at the intersection and then felt the car lurch forward as Jeremy continued down Route 30. "It's hard to explain."

"Try me."

Jeremy's words were innocent enough, without any sense of maliciousness.

Reid could only stay silent, and Jeremy soon understood that the man in his back seat really didn't want to talk about what went on between him and Jason.

"We're almost there," the teenager said, and then Reid glanced out the window and saw the airport. Jeremy pulled past it, turning left at the next cross-section and driving into the parking lot.

The Pontiac pulled in behind them.

The jet was already there.

After a second of nothing, people poured out from the government aircraft and Jeremy got out and helped Spencer out of the car. A blond ran towards them the fastest, pulling the missed Agent into her arms.

The other FBI members piled in after her, surrounding the youngest member of their team.

Jason could make out Jeremy talking to someone other than Agent Reid.

It was a reunion; a celebration of Spencer's return.

The man stepped out of the Pontiac, pulling his newly loaded shotgun with him and shoving a hand gun – on safety – underneath his belt. Slowly, he made his way to the group of people, but still stood around anywhere between thirty and forty feet from them.

He held out the gun, clicking off the safety, and pointing it towards the group. A tall African American man turned towards him, drawing out his gun.

"Don't," Jason said, his voice hard.

The women, there were three of them, ducked down, pulling Spencer and Jeremy down with them. Agent Gideon and the two other men were facing Jason now, not that the killer knew which one the lead agent was.

Not that he cared.

"Jason, drop the gun."

The man looked to the one that spoke. He appeared to be the eldest in the group. He had Agent Gideon's voice.

"Why would I do that, Agent Gideon?" he asked, his voice taunting. He wasn't in the mood to listen to the man any longer, not that he wanted to in the first place. He held out his other hand, and cocked back the trigger.

The man on the right of Gideon stepped forward, a hard gaze in his eyes. "We won't ask you again, Jason. Drop the weapon."

When did they ask him the first time?

Well, anyway, since they asked…

Jason lowered the weapon to the ground and stood back up.

"Now," the angry agent said, his voice growing more irritable by the second. "Put your hands above you head."

Jason didn't comply.

"Put your hands above your head!"

Jason reached for his belt, and pulled the gun out and flipped off the safety.

Then a shot rang out, and the entire landing went silent.

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><p><strong>Two more updates left!<strong>

**I apologize that it's been so long since my last one… school got the best of me and then I picked up a few more classes my third trimester. Sorry about that…  
><strong>

**This should – most likely – be finished within the next two weeks. I'm going to be out of the country for the 13th to the 23rd, so it WILL be completed by then. I'm not going to postpone this anymore.  
><strong>

**I, again, apologize for the wait. I'm really sorry.**

**Review please? I'd like to know what you think.**


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